Sunday, December 20, 2009

Facebook Undone


Today I was friended by psychiatrist friend I haven't seen in a while. She's in her 80's and has always been pretty technologically savvy. I told one of my teenagers, who has met this friend in real life, and she (the teenager) told me she didn't want to hear it! Huh, you aren't interested in my Facebook life?

"People don't talk about what happens on Facebook."

Huh? Neat stuff happens on Facebook, why can't I talk about it?

Well, I got an earful. You talk about what happens on FB, because then it's like you don't have a real life, and people will think you're pathetic, and this will push away the real people in your life who now think you're rather dismal and all you have to talk about is your virtual life because you have no real life to talk about, and then you'll have less people in your real life and you'll need Facebook even more, and it's a vicious cycle.

Mostly likely, I'm doomed.

12 comments:

Rach said...

I did the unthinkable last week and unfriended 240 of my 400 friends. My life is so much better now.

blogbehave said...

Your teenager strung that many sentences together? While talking to you? Her parent? I'd say your real life has it all over Facebook.

Anonymous said...

The teenager was correct, here. Your attempt to actualize the FaceBook love you felt when friending and being befriended was clearly lame. Just reading about it on this blog makes me feel embarrassed for you. Please use Facebook responsibly going forward.

Insurance Tekemarketing said...

Hey, don't worry. I tell my dad to stop talking about Facebook all the time.

Um, and BlogBehave? Teenagers seem to be VERY capable or stringing sentences together. Point in case, thank you, and goodnight.

Anonymous said...

Anon #1 and Teke said it. There should be a medal given to all the teenagers who survive hearing their mothers marveling at the joys of FB.

Sunny CA said...

Ha ha ha. Teens! You are not talking about Second Life. How is it different from getting a Christmas card in the mail from your 80-something friend or getting a phone call or an email which I assume you would be free to talk about? FB is just another way to communicate with real, not imaginary people.

I am 58-years-old, so this is an adult, not tween opinion. If you were my friend I'd be interested in interesting communications from old friends you have had via FB.

Unknown said...

Hey guys, for Christmas I want you to do a podcast on TMS.

Or a podcast on anything.

Please! I'm dying w/o My Three Shrinks

Catherine said...

Reminds me of the first rule of Fight Club.

Also, your teen talks a lot of sense.

Anonymous said...

Teen = +1
Mother = 0

Judy said...

Oh my - I wasn't aware! And yes, I have unfriended several and am much more comfortable on FB.

Alec said...

It's true. The same goes for twitter and any other site that connects you with friends. However, go ahead and talk about what happens in your daily life by constantly updating your status about what you're doing because that is not considered lame....hmmmm.

NeoNurseChic said...

Are (some of) these comments here for real or a joke? I'm 29 so I'm in that awesome almost-30 group of people who still know a little something about being cool (insert eye roll) - and my friends talk about facebook all the time. Then again, I have quite a handful of my 409 friends who are people I solely know online (the majority are not, however) - but I don't really see the difference between virtual and real life honestly. Life is life - I went to England to spend 8 days with one of my closest friends who I'd been talking to online for a few years but had never met in person. When I landed at Heathrow and finally got to hug her in person, it seemed like real life to me! And it feels like life most mornings when I'm up at 4:30am getting ready for work in the real world and chatting with her on facebook because it's the only time of day our schedules line up!

Ah but then again - I met my fiance on match.com, and I'm really not ashamed to say that. Maybe I'm just weird. :-P

Dinah - I think it's very cool that you connected with your 80 something yo friend on Facebook! :)