OMG! I'm on FB!
Thursday, July 26, 2012 at 09:21PM I joined Facebook by accident – okay, okay not quite by accident, but I was trying to access some photos that someone told me they had seen there. Before I knew it, I was in (when was signing up to anything on the web ever so easy? – usually I give up in frustration half way through the process) and ‘friend requests’ were pouring in faster than I could keep up with them, simply because I had indicated where I worked and where I’d been to high school and uni.
I must confess that at this point I felt physically ill. My first FB message to a mate was ‘I’m freaking out here – what have I unleashed – can I get off this thing? This is my first, and quite possibly my last FB communication’.
Up until late last week I have resolutely refused to get sucked into Facebook. I understand it’s an important method of communication and how a lot of people find out and organise everything from where the Taco Truck is parked to where to meet for a drink, but for me, I always suspected it would be just one more time waster and distraction. I get precious few text messages, but quite frankly, it’s hard enough keeping up with email.
I appreciate modern technology up to a point – the point at which it lets me access information, keep up with people I really want to keep up with, write, redraft and file things with ease, but after those basic requirements are met, I find it becomes a bit of a monster that eats away at my peace of mind. There’s always the risk of it becoming an addiction. Even without Facebook, on my precious writing day, before I start to write, I feel compelled to check my three different email accounts, see who, if anyone, is on my chat line and then find myself wondering restlessly, like someone who has had too much fairy floss, is there something else I can check? I’m convinced it detracts from my ability to be truly contemplative and to write either quality or quantity.
Early last week, I was briefly a visitor at a big meeting in Adelaide. My husband was attending for the whole week. Back home again, as soon as I joined Facebook, I was inundated with welcomes from people who I knew were at the meeting, exercising their multi-tasking skills. And as soon as dinner break rolled around, I had a call from my amused and incredulous spouse – ‘people keep telling me you’ve joined Facebook, but I can’t believe it!
Over the weekend, before I made a complete ass of myself, I got my youngest daughter to give me the Facebook 101 tutorial, teaching me how to send a message so that it only went to the one person, and not on my wall (wall?) and how to ‘block’ people who I like a lot but can see already post way more times a day than could possibly be interesting.
And there were lovely things. Within an hour of joining, I had heard from an old school and uni friend I have been trying unsuccessfully to track down for years, saying that she had been attempting to do the same.
In the end, what stopped me cancelling my FB account was that I remembered one of my sons, when I was wondering how to get more people to read my blog, advising that the best way to really get out there and reach more people was to get on Facebook and this other thing called Twitter. Twitter? Now there’s something I swear I will never get sucked into…
Reader Comments (4)
Can't believe it, Clare! A clever, articulate lady such as yourself resorting to FB!
Seriously, I have enough trouble with blogs without getting into Facebook. I find something very confronting about FB and, if I think deeply about it, there's only one explanation. I am essentially a private person who likes to be with husband, family & a few friends. I like to write and comment on blogs, but one can get sucked in, very easily. And addiction can result.
Anyway, enjoy FB - you're much too sensible to get carried away I'm sure.
Oh no... you too! Over to the dark side. I'm the only one in the family left. You should know that you can never cancel your account - you can deactivate it but all the information you put out there (including photos) remains the property of facebook and you can't get them back. Beware the tweet!
It is a wonderful way to catch up with people from years ago. I first "hooked" up to fb when our son was travelling overseas; a great way to see his photos and discover whereabouts in the world he was.
As an aside, I do wonder at some on the people who want to "friend" me on fb- I share a name with a close relative and have on occassions, messaged them back to ensure they have the right person! Love your posts Clare- keep them coming.
After your comments when you contacted me via Al's FB, I was stunned to see you turn up on Facebook. But happy! But stunned in the middle of the Assembly... :-)