Sources of Frustration on Facebook

I love Facebook. I am devoted, I update from my phone, and sometimes nothing gives me more pleasure than a random stalk of someone I knew 6 years ago. But recently, I have been giving serious consideration to deleting the whole thing.

Why? It's no longer facebook. It's not about silly pictures, or updating interests, or writing little comments on other people's walls. It's become, if its even possible, more selfish than the original intention.

Facebook, when I opened mine 4 months before starting my freshman year in college, was a way to find the people who would be living in your dorm. It was a way to keep tabs on the people you went to high school with and knew you might not see again for 4 years. It was a way to slowly chronologize the foray into college life, and to share pictures that the honorary photographer friend had taken of a crazy night. It was a way to invite people to parties before everyone had unlimited texting.

Now, people don't reach out on Facebook. They talk about themselves, and expect people to be reading and comment. It's not, "How are you?" but "This is how I am, please feel free to comment because I am so very important." I'm guilty as charged on this one too. I love talking about myself, and love even more that people occasionally tend to care.

And really? I don't need to see every engagement ring picture. Every SONOGRAM picture (really??? Isn't this reserved for family???) There are tasteful ways to commemorate these moments, and to make sure your ex- boyfriend or ex-girlfriend now knows you're doing fabulously well. Sample wedding pictures are great, seeing a daily schedule of your wedding planning activities appear on my mini-feed is not.

Facebook is also a great way to self promote- something I do with my jewelry. But I try to tone it down. I have a "page" thats separate for my jewelry, and I try to keep personal posts about Cleanwired down to about every two weeks or so. Fellow artists, entrepreneurs, DJs, etc....... Daily updates are not necessary. They are too much. Let's exercise some restraint here.

Let's also tone it down on political and religious beliefs. Naturally, the people I agree with don't bother me as much as the ones I don't. If people want to know your beliefs on those hot points of frustration, they'll ask.

Don't even get me started on freaking Spotify and the Social Reader and Youtube posts. But if I'm informed one more person is listening to the acoustic cover of "Somebody That I Used to Know," it just might be the last straw.

And now, to continue with self promotion and to tell people I'm writing on my blog again, I'm going to post it to Facebook. Self centered hypocrite like us all.