We all know that the whole "Facebook thing" is more than slightly "odd". Yes it's great that we can now get in contact with everyone we've ever said "hi" to or who we knew back when we were 3 or went to playgroup with. But is it actually helpful? I know for me personally I had all these requests to be "friends" with people who I went to school with. YAY I looked really "popular" having lots of "friends" and then one night when the latest one had posted about their fantastic life jet setting all over the world at the drop of the hat, going our socialising, never having to worry about money etc I had the sudden realisation that actually it wasn't making me happy finding out all these things. In fact it was making me feel sad that my life has turned out so differently from how it was all meant to be. Don't get me wrong I love my husband and I love our children and yes in the grand scheme of things I'm happy. So why was it bothering me? Maybe because these people had never been friends of mine, they had only been mere acquaintances if that tbh at school or people who I just didn't get on with at all. So why had I added them? Someone once said that if something or someone in your life isn't a positive influence or have a positive effect on you then cut them out of your life. So that's what I did and am far more content surrounding myself with people who really do have a similar outlook to life that I have. No I may not have thousands of friends, but I do have those who count and who don't judge me and those who I want to have.
1 comments:
The mistake you're making is assuming that everyone on Facebook is actually telling the truth about their lives. We live in an era where people are starting to wise up to the idea that they need to maintain a 'personal brand', and that if they make lots of posts about how successful and globetrotting they are, perhaps it will come true.
Some people choose to fill their profiles with photos of their travels and adventures, which is fair enough, but I would wager decent money that the other 50 weeks of the year they spend just as much time sitting at home watching bad TV and eating ready meals as everyone else.
There are some colossal fantasists on Facebook, and there's a certain arms race mentality involving posting pictures of golden beaches and hugging minor celebrities. I could find it depressing, but mostly I find it hilarious. It's apparently no longer enough to go on a nice holiday, these people need the validation of their friends' jealousy in order to convince them that they enjoyed their trip.
So says the man whose current profile picture shows him hugging an author and a Doctor Who actress at a book launch, anyway...
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