The Fellowship Of Facebook

I have often thought about this wonderful and terrifying tool we have in Facebook.  Over thirty years ago, we would never have had the tools to keep track of so many people in our present and from our past.

The incredible thing I find about Facebook is the amazing ability to snare "new" friends and ignore them all at the same time.  The novelty of Facebook is very intense that everyone who gets hooked on it, invites every person that he or she ever knew.  Catch up with old friends and ex-flames from the past and turn it all into one big reunion party.

However, then you discover why so many of those "friends" were not great friends in the first place.  Like running into an old acquaintance on a long bus ride, you eventually run out of conversation.  Once the common talk and catching up is done, phase two kicks in.  Phase two in Facebook is when you decide to go silent on many of your friends postings.  You may decide that you have had enough but you don't want to be rude by outwardly "rejecting" the said person(s). Remember that person can see all your friends and can spread some pretty wild gossip in no time.

So the act of ignoring swiftly enters the Facebook arena.  It is one of the great passive aggressive features that Facebook has.  "I have Jane Doe as a friend but she has all these stupid applications that I hate and her posts are so dumb. I don't want to rock the boat, so I will put her news items on "hide" so I can get this skank out of my life."

"Jane Doe" does not know any better and goes on ranting and raving and attributing your quietness to...well..  your quiet side.  Of course if she inquires to your new found inactive state, you can always say the lie that everyone gives and believe me, everyone has said this - "I am not on Facebook that much anymore."

Dare I say that you learn stuff about your family that maybe you would rather not know.  Personal postings that are not intended for family viewing come to mind.  How about finding out that someone in your family has Paris Hilton as a role model?  Quick, the "hide" button, THE HIDE BUTTON!!

Facebook does allow us to keep track of those important people in our lives that may have moved to other places.  For those close friendships that may have diminished over years of losing touch, it is an invaluable tool that allows to stay in touch in an inexpensive fashion.  So let my "Friends" list grow astronomically with people who really care as little about my life as I do with theirs.  I can put them in "Limited Friends" and remain the quiet one.  Come to think of it, I do have some quiet friends out there....hmmmm.  Next week, we will learn all about the "BLOCK" button otherwise known as the Facebook restraining order.