by RubyLane

Created on: May 03, 2010   Last Updated: July 30, 2011

“Are you on Facebook?”  A socially innocent question asked at a function. 

“No” A reply by some would be with a little bemused look at such a disdainful past time.

Like it or not, explanations would be given in great detail of the essentials of being on Facebook, the wall-to-wall postings, uploading pictures, tagging pictures, comments, pokes, games, catching up with old school friends’.  This will leave you a little befuddled, low-tech and lagging behind.   Enough of this modern world – its time to go back to the world of fountain pens and Waterford marked paper.

But if you said, “Yes, I’m on Facebook – be my friend, or look me up”

A whole new world has just opened.   Having been a member of Facebook for now over 3 years, there is light under the tunnel. Understanding the FB culture is multi-layered and truly remarkable to be a part of this phenomenon.     It is a world of connections.   The six-degree separation theory is now old hat.

The world has never seemed smaller or more connected than Facebook.   Whether it is a friend, an ex-lover, or relatives in a distant land, and having not been in contact for eons, it is now available to keep up with on a daily basis is fascinating.  Building up contacts on Facebook, friends can expand very quickly when navigating around friends of friends.   Many ask to be friends, discretion is whether or not to confirm or ignore.  Some confirm every Tom, Dick  or Harry, and then later remove him or her so as not to offend them in the first place.  A rather complicated set of ethics of FB good manners needs to be added to Emily Post’s book of etiquette.

The FB society encompasses several strata or divisions. There’s the show offs, very active FB addicts that posts their every meal, their every visit abroad.  Their children’s activities, birthday parties, even a two-minuet video in the labor room about to give birth can be viewed.

Then there is the odd long lost school friend whose passion is to relive the school playground.  Once connected, you wouldn’t care to see again.  Lovely to catch up but time and distance just doesn’t give more than a paragraph and then the gap continues to widen.

Another FB profile is the ADHD with a few seconds to spare in between meetings, waiting for the traffic to ease, or just plain bored

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>