FACEBOOK...its a funny old thing is FB...I avoided it for a long time simply because it was yet another techie thing I would have to master...having taken a good 3 years to catch up with texting and get to the stage where I wasn't scared of my mobile phone I kinda thought FB would be even more terrifying. Strangely enough it has been reasonably easy for me to get into it and certainly for last year or so I have become an almost daily Fbooker...
I still have no real understanding of it and can only manage rudimentary working...eg still have no idea of the "chat" or how to upload photos ..but I can post a status and leave comments and view the odd You tube . I have no interest in all the collective add ons..eg..Farmville and can actually block them from appearing on my Homepage...after asking on FB how to do this..!!
So...what does FB give me that attracts me to look at it almost daily...I have thought about this for a while now and have come up with the following Pros and Cons
PROs
*it has brought far away family and friends back into my life ...
*news and views and updates on how people are...
*fun times with crazy status and jokes....
*its a quick way to get a prayer request out to friends...
*the messaging facility is another way to make arrangements with folk...
*photos of family and friends allows me to "see" into their lives....
*keeps me from being bored....
*makes me think about what people write as their status...
*gives me the opportunity to answer a "need" in peoples lives...
*as I work from home it brings the "outside " inside ..if that makes sense...
*asking for info on something in particular..eg eye laser or Ebooks bringing loads of recommendations
*anyone know of a plumber..garage ..mechanic...
*can anyone help with a lift ...meal...babysit...
*reading about church stuff from everyones different perspectives....
*links to blogs....
and I could write more....BUT the Cons....... also open up a whole different set of thoughts that I hadnt bargained on and have given me some things to think about and to work through.
CONS..
*reading about other people's arrangements and gatherings can leave me dis-satisfied with my own social culture...eg...
*seeing pics of someones birthday gathering and wondering why I hadn't been invited...
*sometimes posting a status and no-one comments on it can leave me wondering if people care....
*commenting on someone elses status only to have it misunderstood....
*making a jokey status..which no-one gets......
*reading about everyones comings and goings and feeling as if my life is empty....
*feeling alone.....
I have taken a few breaks from FB over last few months to prove to myself I am NOT actually addicted and I can easily go off on hols and not give it much thought but in my day to day life it seems to play a part ....one of the small struggles I have to contend with is....
I read and "see" many different groups of friends interacting with each other and it seems as if everyone else has a busy and satisfying social sphere than I do..!!and me being a "nosey" type I often read a status about something that I know nothing about and find myself wondering why I dont have that knowledge....
Yep...FB is a funny old thing isnt it?? or is it just me....???
3 comments:
Irene, Please rest assured that we are all left feeling like this sometimes with fb...certainly feeling left out etc. I also feel that it has some huge pros, which at the moment, I think outweight the negatives. When it becomes the other way round, that's probably when to stop! It's always good to remember that fb should never replace face to face contact - sometimes I find this can slip for me. Good and thought-provoking blog! Suzanne
I know what you mean about wondering why others seem to have more going on in their lives than I do. However, I have come to the conclusion that we are all on different paths and if we were doing exactley the same thing as our friends then we would be a pretty boring lot!
it's def. not just you! hahaha, FB... goodness... I had to stop myself from looking at photos from people i don't even know... and even people that THOSE people barely know!! it was getting out of hand. nosy beggar that I am.
I enjoy it all though really. I also don't do all that 'farmville' nonsense... started it once and it was like WORK! hours 'watering' virtual plants?! come on!
I LIKE posting all my pics on there. I don't care if nobody looks, they're there for me. On the other hand I like it a lot when I get comments. And I like the banter that often ensues. James hates it all with a vengence hahaha.
I do have to try and keep the number of updates I get to quite the minimum though because sometimes I'm reading for hours and get nothing else done, so that's not good. I have actually made quite a few actual good friends via FB though. People I mail otherwise too now. People I wouldn't know, from all over the world really. So I love it. You just have to be strict with yourself. A wee bit. Just a touch. A tad ;)
x
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