A friend recently told me her thoughts on Facebook.
She said another friend of hers explained that she became a Facebook user simply out of necessity for keeping up on what was being planned for a dreaded high school reunion. Before this planning, she was not part of the Facebook culture. This friend of hers went on to say that she is no longer a part of the Facebook culture, account deleted and all, post-reunion party.
Why?
This friend-of-a-friend is single. She hasn’t made her way to (the societally imposed idea of) marriage, children, financial, professional and personal successes. This friend-of-a-friend was not hitting this local hot spot or that, baking a good, living a life she felt others were living. This friend-of-a-friend felt that Facebook, in fact, depressed her.
As she looked on and became addicted to the scrolling through the lives of others she had connected with from her past, she found herself even more aware of (the societal impressions of) her failures. Her loneliness was even more pronounced. What she had been seeking and not receiving, in her mind, was being pushed to the very tip of her nose before she could no longer see beyond it.
Her account is deleted. She didn’t feel the need to keep her feelings of failure prominent in her online activities. I get that, but I wonder:
Do you find Facebook depressing?
Do you find yourself sucked into the Facebook culture?
Gina St. Aubin
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I was more or less forced into facebook. Having had a My Space for our autism support group and one for me, when My Space started to grow less in social connection, I got asked to start a support group autism page. Didn’t wanna. Finally did and a page for me so people could connect from finding me to other pages and people. Then, like this person, high school reunion happened. I didn’t get to go, no sitter for John, but I did fill out the form and left my facebook page…just in case anyone wanted to get in touch, after all, my page is well…war zone for my own political views and thoughts on vaccines. I am thankful to be reunited with a few of these people. No my son didn’t graduate from law school, I don’t live in Switzerland, I don’t have a pack of cute grandkids, or half what my graduating class has to offer. Depressing, no, life is what it is. Heck I bet I would be in envy of that single womans life..and bet a lot of her classmates were as well. Bottom line is, we all have a life, we all make choices, we all travel down roads we didn’t plan or did plan and they didn’t turn out like we thought. Facebook does not depress me, but nasty remarks and unkind post sure do. I over look them, I am sure I offend plenty of folks as well…
I wonder if it has to do with being in different times in our lives? I’m with you. This is my journey with my son. I’m at peace with that. I’ve accepted and embraced our journey. Another’s life or perceived “perfection” in life wouldn’t have that kind of impact on me. But for another… another who’s not at acceptance and embracing the journey… maybe?
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