Saturday, August 2, 2008

What's the deal with Facebook?

I have recently joined Facebook. A-whole-nother world it is, eh? (and who besides me thinks that a-whole-nother should be a word?). I've been feeling old enough lately what with being called ma'am and having a wrinkly forehead and reading a piece about how the young people are breaking up with each other through blogs and text messages and such. (Back in my day we just had our friends do it or made out with the new person in front of the old person. What about the time honored "I'll call you" lie? Hello? If it ain't broke, don't fix it, hear me? And then we walked home in four feet of snow with no shoes, okay?)

Speaking of high school--and Facebook--it seems my high school has quite the Facebook presence. Lest you think I am popular or anything, well..just don't. I went to a great high school. Nice bunch of folks, great school spirit, great parents who always had purses full of bandaids and Tastykakes. I loved high school. I loved my friends, and the ones that I want to be in touch with, I am. Most of the rest, I wish all kinds of good things for as we go our separate paths in life. Remember the football game? The play? Remember how you broke up with me by telling my friend? Wasn't that awesome?

And now, people I never thought for a minute I would keep in touch with, I know that they are excited for so-and-so's wedding right this minute or are hungover 11 hours ago or whatever. Not that I don't appreciate all my new Facebook Friends, but (don't ever say but! It cancels out the words before it!) I'm still adjusting to re-entering all this adolescent love.

I'm especially perplexed about what to do about friend requests from people who I didn't know well at all even then. Do I accept for the sake of the whole group? Ignore and appear unFriendly? I'm regressing. Obsessing. Kind of fun, if I'm honest. I'm about ready to write some notes, fold them in vintage 1986 paper-football style, and go hang out in study hall.

18 comments:

Kristen M. said...

I am the person who hid when the 10 year h.s. reunion invites went out so yeah, it was bizarre to have these people from my past finding me on facebook. my philosophy is this: if i haven't wondered about this person in the last 16 years and lamented that we lost touch, i don't friend them. ignore works just fine for me! not doing it to be mean or anything, just trying to not get sucked back in to the h.s. "gotta do it because everyone else is" thingy.

Rima said...

Funny, I feel much the same about old Facebook! I heard the proper etiquette was to accept the friend invite (as long as you know who the person actually is).

Vanessa said...

I'm learning to maneuver Facebook as well, but not a single person from high school has found me. I'm totally ok with that! The etiquette I'm still unsure of myself. I mostly just play scrabulous now known as wordscraper. Find me in there if you'd like.

Jenn @ Juggling Life said...

I just can't have one more thing in my life that uses the computer.

I'm ignoring Facebook completely.

Irene said...

I joined Facebook and quit it in the shortest amount of time because of all the people who wanted to be 'friends' with me. I don't quite need a social life that big. I didn't see the point in it. I felt quite claustrophobic and afraid to sign on.

Lisa Wheeler Milton said...

I reluctantly signed up a while back & thankfully I did come across a few people I was glad to reconnect with.

But it is a monster time suck, so I hardly log on. There's all that gift giving - flowers, plants, ogres, what? It's too much.

I usually accept the friend invitation, because of what Rima said, but it does feel disingenuous and fake.

lapoflux said...

My high school had a 20 year reunion last year and it was all organized via Facebook. And now I have all kinds of friends (because I too feel the need to accept friend requests) that I really have not much interest in.
And now they've added the feature to tell you who you MIGHT be friends based on your friends friends. So you can't hide.
I have a couple of friends who have just initials for last names and I am thinking that's the way to go.
Because you're right, chances are if I haven't found you in 20 years I probably wasn't looking that hard.

Anonymous said...

I call Facebook F*#kbook. It baffles me on SO many levels. I sign in once a month and am avalanched by 'requests' to be a zombie or some other oddity. Makes me feel OLD.

Anonymous said...

I just got on Facebook as well, but don't even know how to use it really. I think using my married name makes it easier to be friends with only the people who I want to find me. I do find it pretty good for organizing get togethers, but honestly you can do it just as easlily - if not more - with plain old email...

Claire B. said...

I think I'm way too old for Facebook. Or most other new inventions.

Anonymous said...

I just got on facebook too. And I can't believe the people from my high school, who pretty much ignored me the whole time, and who are all now sending me friend requests. Weird. Weird weird weird.

Melanie said...

I'm glad to see that I'm not alone in my Facebook apathy/confusion/gentle disgust.

And to celebrate, I'm going to log on this minute and gift each one of you with a Have A Magical Day! unicorn or something.

Darla said...

Don't know a thing about it. High School reuinions can be a trip tho, that I say from experience.

Darla

Misty said...

i'm a facebook newby and it's exactly like that! I joined it a couple of years ago at the request of a friend, but NEVER went back. Recently a different friend convinced me to log in, where 67 "so and so wants to be your friend" requests had sad, for who knows how long. It was BIZARRE! and it really is so addictivly juvenille...

ellen said...

I definitely am way to geriatric for Facebook. I really have no clue what it is.
I am not, however, to senile to have forgotten study hall. God, what a drag that was. Be sure to spit out your gum before you go.
Thanks for the comment...yes, these are pics of where I live, and, yes..you can come to the party. It's held everyday!

Heidi said...

nooo! Not another facebook recruit! I turned down several invitations to LinkIn before I gave in. I still don't understand the benefit other than a big time suck. But, I've been told that I have trouble relaxing. Maybe explains why I dread these social sites, it cuts in to my work time.

Tootsie Farklepants said...

You're not old until you start pronouncing the days of the week like: Mondeee, Tuesdeeee, etc. And referring to the television shows you watch as "stories".

I haven't joined Facebook so I can't help you there. It sounds angsty.

Tania said...

I signed up with my married name, so no one ever finds me - I aded an elite few, which gives me control over who sees my picures etc. I do like perusing other people's pics so I can see if they gained weight, got married, had kids...