My relationship with Facebook is very rocky lately. I struggle with Facebook. It is a very love/hate between us. Because of this I have deactivated my relationship with Facebook several times in the last couple of months. In real life when people say something like I'll message you on FB or you should friend me, I say that I no longer have a FB. This comment pretty much brings the same reaction from everyone. First they open their mouth and their eyes get big in a very shocked manner. Then they hurriedly ask why. I respond that it's for several different reasons and explain at least one. Lastly they try to justify to me why they still have a FB. They must think I am THAT kind of person that doesn't believe in technology. This whole thing is quite hilarious to me because I could care less whether someone has FB or not. After they tell me that they only have FB to keep in touch with family and close friends (all 1,000). I try to comfort them for feeling guilty about having a profile. Then the conversation ends.
Let me explain some of the reasons for the troubles in my relationship with Facebook.
First off i am kind of freaked out by it. I worry that one day somebody who is a creeper is going to use all the random stuff I post. With this information they will stalk me and my family and kidnap my sweet firstborn(remember this is in the future). Seriously though I have heard a lot of things lately about how what you do on the Internet can be tracked and used against you. I don't want the fact that I ate a grilled cheese sandwich on January 15, 2012 at 1:43 pm to be used against and possibly to even damage my flawless reputation.
Secondly I just get sick of knowing so much about people that I don't know in real life very well. It gets very noisy sometimes. Once in awhile I just need some silence.
Thirdly I can't stand when people air their dirty laundry for everyone to see. That kid from your 10th grade class that you partnered up with for one project doesn't want to know that you got in a fight with your second husbands first wife and that you have been crying for the past week because of the mean things she said about you. It's sad we are all sorry for you but mostly because posting things like this tends to really say that you are craving attention and validation from a hundred of your bestest friends. Consequently, the response the above person would (and has given) is that if you don't want to know then don't read it. Well the thing is when you are scrolling down your feed on FB it is hard to ignore status that have lots of caps,!!!, or tons of comments.
Fourthly it bothers me that people don't censor themselves a bit more and are not sensitive to those around (being FB) them. Being in school for the counseling profession I have learned a lot. One of the biggest things I have learned is that everyone has a story. Sometimes sharing your joys with someone can be a very painful thing for them. What I am talking about are things like the pregnancy statuses. There are others things but this is just an example. It is okay to announce you are pregnant. I don't think it is okay to continually update about how sucky your pregnancy is. There are people that are reading that status and hurting inside because all they want is to be pregnant and be throwing up. But they can't. I hope this makes sense.
Fifthly in life we all have struggles. Facebook is not the place to solicit for advice. If life really sucks that much, maybe it is time for professional help.
This is why I feel the way I do about Facebook. I don't know if I will ever officially delete my Facebook. I know there are some benefits of having a profile but currently I sometimes don't feel like the benefits outweigh everything else.
