by Gary Sacco

Created on: March 18, 2009

I finally succumbed to my ex's urging and joined millions of other lunatics hooked on the website Facebook. I've reunited with over 50 people. Obviously, one still lives with me, but others hail from different parts of the country including Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, Boston, Massachusetts and Newark, New Jersey. Many fellow Facebookers, if that's the term, or perhaps, Facebookians, still in the Rochester area.

The fact is that reconnecting with old friends, residing locally, provoked both cheerful and disturbing thoughts. Initially, my spirit soared as I connected with former classmates and others from my childhood. "Great, so and so appears to be have a wonderful life, still looks pretty snappy, too," I thought. Then I darkly reasoned that these old so called friends, who've been here for years, never bothered to look me up! I'm guilty of this as well. While over one million people live in the Rochester metropolitan area, it has never felt that way. My closest friend repeatedly uses the phrase "Rochester is just too small."

My feelings stem from decades old high school insecurities. I was marginally popular in high school but dearly wanted inclusion in that inner circle of the coolest kids and never got there. My repeated failure to crack that group produced frustration. As I hunt for classmates and am located by others, I'm a bit haunted by the sticker warning that objects in the rear view mirror are closer than they appear. 1983, a year buried in the past, seems suddenly resurgent. Reliving the rejection, of an attractive female classmate, would be horrifying. Worse yet, will Facebook become our cyber homeroom? I sadly envision a reinstitution of Middle School rivalries. Denonville Middle School's first cluster, students with last names A though L, trade Facebook insults with second cluster combatants!

Thus far, my customized Facebook community has been very peaceful. Every user is essentially the mayor of private, individual enclaves. The website allows users to regulate their homepages. I've noticed an interesting "options" feature that can filter out material from more conversant friends and those who obsessively post photos. This subtle move falls far short of nuking them! Users probably notice if you've deleted them. Thankfully, I haven't utilized either maneuver.

This leads to questions regarding disclosure, on Facebook. My belief supports discretion. Users should not post copious details about their lives. Lover's spats and virulent disagreements must,

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>