Faceless
Well, I did it. I am now Faceless. I created a Facebook and now I have "deactivated" my Facebook. I know I will age myself by proclaiming that Facebook is drivel and boring. So, yes, now you know I am over the age of 24.
To be fair, of my grand total of 11 friends on Facebook more than half were older than 24 too. I am prepared for a backlash - a veritable shit storm of controversy. If Facebook is that important to you than I simply say, "I'm sorry." Sorry your life is not filled with uh, um....LIFE.
Seriously, though, why? Why Facebook? And, no, I don't have a MySpace, but thanks for asking.
What is the point of Facebook? No real communication goes on. Unless you count "Debbie just got poked by Carrie" as REAL communicating. The people who you end up "finding" and adding to your friends list? I wasn't looking for them in the first place.
I know the world is changing. Its summer and when I was growing up that meant I watched Mr. Rogers Neighborhood even when I was way too old because there was nothing else on! We actually would turn the t.v. off because there was NOTHING on for kids to watch.
Summer meant completing the chore list my mother would leave for us - clean horse stalls, water trees, mow yard, clean kitchen and my least favorite, weeding the vegetable garden. I cursed many a tomato under the hot, dry Oklahoma sun.
My kids move from t.v. to computer, to Xbox, to PSP. I leave a few chores like empty the dishwasher or bring your dirty clothes downstairs. Let's face it. We don't have the chores now like we used to. I don't have horses or a vegetable garden. I will accept a little blame as a minor control freak that I like things done a certain way, thus its easier to do it myself.
Facebook is a part of this generation. Now instead of riding your bike to your friends house and sneaking into the neighbors pool, kids just live from screen to screen. Friends are to be visited via Facebook or MySpace but not FACE-to-FACE.
I for one mourn the loss. Some of my greatest memories are of summers where my friends and I got sooooooo bored we made shit up. Like Boob Cream.
The boob cream got created because one of my girlfriends was still flat as a pancake while the rest of us were budding bumps proudly. We had this idea and told her that we used this special cream. Of course, the cream was just crap that we mixed together from the bathroom - lotion, soap, baby oil - but she believed it. Totally. I wish I only knew how long she faithfully rubbed the boob cream on.
Okay - I know its not the best use of a kids time but my point is - I rarely see my kids get THAT bored anymore. Some parents think that if their kid gets bored for one minute they will immediately take to using and dealing Crack but I think with that kind of boredom comes creativity.
To be fair, of my grand total of 11 friends on Facebook more than half were older than 24 too. I am prepared for a backlash - a veritable shit storm of controversy. If Facebook is that important to you than I simply say, "I'm sorry." Sorry your life is not filled with uh, um....LIFE.
Seriously, though, why? Why Facebook? And, no, I don't have a MySpace, but thanks for asking.
What is the point of Facebook? No real communication goes on. Unless you count "Debbie just got poked by Carrie" as REAL communicating. The people who you end up "finding" and adding to your friends list? I wasn't looking for them in the first place.
I know the world is changing. Its summer and when I was growing up that meant I watched Mr. Rogers Neighborhood even when I was way too old because there was nothing else on! We actually would turn the t.v. off because there was NOTHING on for kids to watch.
Summer meant completing the chore list my mother would leave for us - clean horse stalls, water trees, mow yard, clean kitchen and my least favorite, weeding the vegetable garden. I cursed many a tomato under the hot, dry Oklahoma sun.
My kids move from t.v. to computer, to Xbox, to PSP. I leave a few chores like empty the dishwasher or bring your dirty clothes downstairs. Let's face it. We don't have the chores now like we used to. I don't have horses or a vegetable garden. I will accept a little blame as a minor control freak that I like things done a certain way, thus its easier to do it myself.
Facebook is a part of this generation. Now instead of riding your bike to your friends house and sneaking into the neighbors pool, kids just live from screen to screen. Friends are to be visited via Facebook or MySpace but not FACE-to-FACE.
I for one mourn the loss. Some of my greatest memories are of summers where my friends and I got sooooooo bored we made shit up. Like Boob Cream.
The boob cream got created because one of my girlfriends was still flat as a pancake while the rest of us were budding bumps proudly. We had this idea and told her that we used this special cream. Of course, the cream was just crap that we mixed together from the bathroom - lotion, soap, baby oil - but she believed it. Totally. I wish I only knew how long she faithfully rubbed the boob cream on.
Okay - I know its not the best use of a kids time but my point is - I rarely see my kids get THAT bored anymore. Some parents think that if their kid gets bored for one minute they will immediately take to using and dealing Crack but I think with that kind of boredom comes creativity.
posted by DebbieDoesLife at
2:14 PM
11 Comments:
I use facebook for work. Since I work with students sometimes I need to know what they look like if I have never met them or when putting together elections and I need a picture or something like that.
It seems to be kids now "collect" friends but really don't have a lot of real friends. More of the duplicity of their online life. One minute they are bemoaning not knowing anyone and the next minute on Facebook with over 300 "friends".
I week for them. They are an aweful generation.
~Jef
By
Anonymous, at 6/03/2008 4:54 AM
I have the same issues with Twitter. It always feels like everyone is trying to outdo the next person with their witty 50 letter count banter, and who can keep up with that kind of pressure??
By
Candy, at 6/03/2008 9:43 AM
I have a myspace to keep up with Chris. It's easier for him to get onto myspace while he is in Afghanistan and drop me a note. When he gets home, for good, I can get rid of it.
By
Brenda, at 6/03/2008 8:34 PM
Well then...I wish you lived closer. I use Facebook MOSTLY to keep up with family AND to play Scramble.
By
Anonymous, at 6/04/2008 8:58 AM
I think if Scrabulous weren't on Facebook, I would be tempted to deactivate. I've gotten in touch with some people that I had all but forgotten about, which is cool, and it's nice to catch up and see how they're doing and what they're doing (and who they're doing...), but my main reason for being on Facebook is Scrabulous. It is so, so addicting (for me, anyway).
By
mamatulip, at 6/06/2008 5:01 PM
I never made it to facebook, you are way ahead of me. I did create a myspace page about 5 years ago and haven't used it since.
Boob cream. lol. My kids were telling me tonight they were bored and would not go outside to play...oh the humanity! Oh, and I get you on the control freak thing...why have them clean the bathroom, when I am going to have to redo it anyway and possibly yell at them for it?
By
Ditsy Chick, at 6/07/2008 11:43 PM
You just keep me in stitches. You are too funny. I myself use myspace and there are certain people that I communicate with only that way. I hope you are well.
Donna Bliss
www.mymiraclebaby.com
By
Anonymous, at 6/09/2008 7:36 PM
Eh Facebook. I could take it or leave it. I use it instead of email for out of town friends. When I have my joice (ie I'm not at work) then I don't even THINK about the computer. Period.
By
Tink, at 6/13/2008 4:11 PM
Newsweek had a small article which touched on the biggest reason I use FB, which is to keep up with people that I have *some* interest in following but not enough to do anything more active such as phone calls/email/letters/etc. Here's the link to that article:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/140480/output/print
By
Spamboy, at 6/15/2008 9:44 AM
I'm with you on the boredom and creativity. So many creative ways I came up with to amuse myself as a kid because we had no cable, no video games, none of that stuff that kids now to occupy every second of their attention span!
By
teahouse, at 6/17/2008 7:53 AM
I like Facebook as a snapshot form of communication. Less than blogging and e-mailing, a way to keep in touch with people by sharing the little things I'm doing, not just the big stuff.
And as for the boredom factor--my kids get seriously bored and make all kinds of stuff--and messes. Sometimes I beg them to find something to watch on TV!
By
Anonymous, at 6/22/2008 11:44 AM
Post a Comment
<< Home