Hi, I am Fleur and I am here to share something about Facebook.
[You go: Hi Fleur!]
The more I travelled, the more I worked with people for short (but intensive) periods, the more I lived in different places- the more I got peer pressured into creating a Facebook account. I did not give in! I would not do it - if the friendships that had originated in brief/long meetings and times spent together, then they would last. No need for Facebook, right?
I remember how long it took me to get a cell phone. It wasn't until I was 18 and wanted to travel to Europe when I had to get one, since my parents would not let me go without one... This was also the time when my friend, who thought it was ridiculous that I still did not have an email address, took advantage of this situation to create an email address for me. I still use this same email address, and that was 10 years ago.
So this same friend was not surprised at all that I did not have a Facebook account. And I wasn't planning on getting one, no matter how much fun he made of me. No matter how many disappointed faces I had to encounter after my negative answer to "Are you on Facebook?". No matter how much gossip or rumours I missed out on.
But then I became a volunteer for CISV and started working with youth. It just happens to be that my group of youth is spread all over Canada, and we need to find ways to keep in touch. It did not even occur to me that this might be the time to get a Facebook account. Skype, Email, and our very own group blog should be sufficient, right? Not so. Soon it hit me: I need to create a Facebook account.
So I did. First my with real name, and my 10 year old email address. I immediately had hundreds (okay, maybe twenty) friend requests, and I thought "Noooo!". How do they know that I know all these people? Where did they get all this information from? I quickly changed my tactics; I used a pseudonym and a brand new email address. Phew, much better. I felt in control again.
Now I have developed this love-hate relationship with Facebook. I love staying in touch with "my" youth. So handy, so quick! I love being able to post "So what's that song again?", and have multiple answers within minutes. But I hate how I feel I need to keep checking it. I hate how I am expected to update photos and share my whole life on there. My challenge is to not give in to these expectations! But for how long can I be strong?...
Thanks for listening.
[You go: You're welcome, Fleur. Thanks for sharing.]
3 comments:
This is so true. Although I truly think I hate Facebook sometimes, I can't seem to get rid of it. If I did, I would lose touch with a lot of interesting and wonderful people that I have met traveling over the years. Or I would miss out on baby pictures of my nephew as my sister doesn't have extra time to e mail me photos individually. It seems to be a frustrating reality...
Hi Fleur!
I totally agree with what your saying. In fact, its the same reason I got rid of my Facebook, I just did not like nor want that addictive behaviour. I mean walk into the library and count how many people are just glued to that screen creeping on their friends or strangers...(wierd). It is just ridiculous to me sometimes how much time we are willing to waste just sitting there looking at pictures and reading comments, pretending we are "socializing".
Micah I like to call this form of socializing as "perving facebook". Now I am 100% guilty in perving facebook. I don't understand my draw to it. Sometimes I think it is a distraction from homework, or perhaps my need to feel connected (I have been in full time classed for 25 months straight so I feel a little out of the loop sometimes). But Fleur I admire your refusal to get Facebook for so long. The force is strong with you! I sometimes think about just deleting my account but I have not been able to follow through on that thought as of yet.
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