Some of you already know what I am talking about. But for those of you still thriving on your own, who haven’t been party to my day-long ramble of comments, pokes and pokings, I am hear to say.
I have LOST MY FREAKING MIND.
I have joined the Borg-like collective otherwise known as Facebook. Unbelievable, I know. I have resisted for SO LONG. I hate Facebook. Still do. But when I googled my best friend from HS yesterday and saw she had joined, the urge was IRRESISTIBLE. WHY??? I have no idea. Perhaps the thought of interacting w/ her even marginally proved too enticing. Our friendship has waned over the years, and we now live 5,000 miles apart. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my first 24 hours on Facebook, it’s that none of that matters. It’s not how long since you last spoke or interacted, nor whether you’ve even actually met in real life. Once a friend, always a friend. At least on Facebook.
Unfortunately. one day on Facebook has taken 2 weeks off me in real life. I stayed up till nearly one o’clock in the morning last night. Facebook took control. I was searching for names as fast as I could type. Anyone and everyone I’ve ever known. To see whether they too had joined the massing throng. And many more of them were there, than weren’t. Oh some I knew would be there. Others I’d never have imagined. After 5, 10, 20 years, some I wouldn’t recognize if we passed each other on the street. Others – WOW. Time has stood still.
In the past 24 hours I have reconnected with over 60 people. I can hardly believe it. From one to the next – reaching out to each other like we’ve never been apart. Like a cyber-reunion on crystal meth, it’s been SPEEDY FUN. But it’s also exhausting. I haven’t thought about half of these people in years. Many ask what I’ve been up to. How do you summarize such enormous parts of your life w/out omitting crucial details & emotions? I left a doctoral program. I worked professionally. I got pregnant, I got married. I was consumed by motherhood. I lost a child. I have been plagued by a disease. We’ve moved. A lot has gone on. And not just for me, but for ALL OF US. Every person I’ve friended on Facebook has a dozen or more stories to tell, not of minutia but of monumental change. Frankly, it’s a little hard to digest overnight. Last evening, I went to bed late and I didn’t sleep well. I found myself waking periodically, wanting to check my Facebook page. I spent this morning half-awake, absorbed by the thought of him or her, and them. The Collective. Trying to wrap my head around the concept I had resisted for so long, and the reality that is Facebook.
And also wondering.. inevitably. WHY? Why has so-and-so NOT responded to my friend request. Hmm. Maybe they are not obsessive computer users? In hospital? Out of the country?? WHAT IS GOING ON?! Am I not COOL? Facebook. Although it brings pleasure, all this reconnecting and reminiscing w/ old friends also makes you feel a little like that person back in high school. Wondering whether you are popular. Or popular enough. Whether so-and-so is thinking bad thoughts about you. Or, conversely, someone is thinking about you a bit too much.
Twenty-four hours in. I am spent. Too much time on the computer does that to me. It’s why I don’t Tweet. Why my blog posts are often few & far between. I much prefer living my life outside. in the real world. Where I have far fewer friends. Till tomorrow, anyway. When that urge to check my Facebook page rises up, and once again. Our thoughts are one. Linked together by a billion strands of interwoven cyber friendship stretching far, far into space. That’s right. I am now on Facebook.
Where’s the “Like” button?
I can’t believe you succumbed. I guess I have to do it too finally. Love you
I get enormous satisfaction of having that ‘potential’ connection with people from my past. Best friends from elementary school, middle school, high school. Places I used to work.
I have a ridiculously bad memory and connecting with everyone has reminded me of things I’ve forgotten…stuff that I wanted to remember.
My only challenge with Facebook is that I pour so much of my thoughts into TTi that it almost feel empty when it comes to the status updates.
Anyway, it is AWESOME to see you there. 🙂
i’m unfriending you. i can’t believe you crossed over to the dark side.
mwaha ah. facebook=biggest time suckage of all time. 🙂
xoxoxoxo
ah come on Curly, you know you want to…I’m tired of trying to figure out what the M stands for…some of my real life friends use Aliases that not everyone would know (such as stalking students)
dear connie,
my last name is lipshitz.
love,
curly
I actually have 2 Facebooks. One to follow family and friends and the other for my blog. I’ve closed the blog account about 3 times. I really find it quite worthless. The other one is only there to see the newest photos of my grandson.
Oh Laura! *poke*
Sue, I WARNED YOU. PS: could that “fake” Jon friending have been any WEIRDER?!
Hayden — got your message, many thanks for the info! Am slowing learning the FB ropes. I wish I could give it up, but as they say in Star Trek. Resistance is futile. PS: Thinking of you & Chris. hang in there. xo
Nat – please don’t abandon me. I can already feel FB sucking the life out of my blog.. it’s sllooowwly deflating .. oh nooo here it cooomes. POP!
S.Le. I LOVE your SANTA HAT!!!
i prefer http://www.lamebook.com. much more entertaining.
couldn’t get it to load. spoof site?
Ugh. Me, too. What is WRONG with us? I’m too old for Facebook. Yet there I am. I think it is a black hole. Did you say that already? See, now I’m plagairising. And I can’t even spell it.
hahahaha…the oldsters (me) are the largest growing demographic (?) on facebook LOL I have a LOVE/HATE relationship with it myself and quite often amuse myself with thinking of really snarky status updates.
Interesting you say that Connie. I was talking to my mom about FB this weekend, telling her I had joined & how many old friends I had reconnected w/ and she seemed interested. I’ll let her know. I mean. you figure – FB has 350 million users, there are bound to be a bunch of people there she knows as well.
I agree 100% with you! I’ve been through it all as well, the highs and lows of reconnecting with peeps from facebook. After all of the hype was over , it seemed that out of the 140+ “friends” I have, only 30+ were regulars on facebook and most weren’t even my close friends.
I’ve had some sweet reunions with former friends and classmates, but I had one extremely bad experience and I had to block someone. I am now very careful with who I add as a friend.
I still enjoy staying connected with some on facebook, but I’ve cut back on my time spent on there.
Tammy – SO sorry to hear about your bad experience. YIKES! I’ve been enjoying FB more lately, as I’ve learned to STAY OFF! LOL
Seriously though. I just heard about the deaths of 2 HS classmates – via FB. Too sad. My husband & I joke about “being old” – but we’re still way too young to be losing friends.