It’s been a little over a year now since I joined the social media entity known as Facebook.
It’s been a little over a year now that I’ve sat back, watched everyone’s life unfold right before my eyes; going through the ups, the downs, the things you’re having for lunch, the ignorant posts, the inspirational posts, the pokes, the likes, the birthday reminders, the ads, the selfies, the exact time you woke up and weren’t ready for work, the moment you felt like a badass, your first beer, the crazy life you’re living, the outfit you selected, the pics of your pet doing normal pet activities, the pics of your kids, the pics of your sister’s kids, the pics of your sister’s kids friends at a birthday party, your new car, your new house, your new shoes, your complaints about work, the struggles of everyday life, the weather being too hot, the snow coming too soon, your neighbor not shutting up, your birthday celebrations at the bar, your hash-tags from your linked Twitter account, the Throwback Thursdays, the Man Crush Mondays, the photo tags, your plans for the weekend, the jet-set life you’re living, your opinions, your thoughts on the football game, your empty threats, empty diet promises, your bedtime routine, the pics you share about the government, your rants about the government, your entitlement, your lack of motivation, your lack of love, the disregard for anyone’s feelings, the intent of posts, the attempt to gain likes, your workout routine, how you feel you should be working out, your pins to Pinterest, your “educated” remarks about world events, the support for tragic events, your support for equal rights, your disdain for the President, your distrust for the government, your need to tell us what you’re doing at 10:13am on a Wednesday, your relationship status, the amount of friends you have, the play-by-play of your wife’s surgery, your visit to the dentist, the love you have for your grandchildren, the headache you have, your day at the beach, your vacation with the family, your new iPhone, your loneliness and everything else in-between that makes you…Well, you!
If I’ve learned one thing from Facebook, it’s that privacy is overrated. We all want it, but we are all the first to post a pic that invites random people to follow our lives like we have our reality show. Like the Lion from Food Lion says, “that’s just my two cents.”
If I’ve learned another thing from Facebook, it’s that we are all lonely people. Socializing and spending ample amounts of time on Facebook isn’t the same as going to see a movie with a friend, grabbing lunch with a friend, or picking up a cell phone and talking to a friend. 350 virtual friends are not comparable to 350 actual friends. If they were, you would be the busiest person in the world trying to make time for all of them. Like Bruce Almighty said, “that’s the way the cookie crumbles.”
If I’ve learned something else from Facebook, it’s that people are so into themselves. Whether it’s a selfie, a post about how you’re awesome at life, a post about how you’re putting in that work (or whatever cool kids are saying). People are selfish. This makes people lonely. This makes people unattractive. This makes the entire Facebook community all about themselves. As George Harrison once said, “I, me, me, mine.”
If I’ve learned one last thing from Facebook, it’s that I’ve become a victim to a lot of the above events. I’ve sat staring at a Facebook screen comparing my life to others. I’ve been jealous. I’ve been angry at posts that were misinformed or unedidchumacated. I’ve hidden people from my timeline. I’ve accepted friend requests that I regret. I’ve blocked all game requests. I’ve complained on Facebook. I’ve vented on Facebook. I’ve used it as a mouthpiece for things I normally wouldn’t say.
It’s a crapshoot.
I shouldn’t be so concerned about what’s happening in other people’s lives. It’s frustrating. And to an extent, I honestly don’t care. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy you have a tasty sandwich for lunch, and you’re going to take a walk after dinner, but that’s not going to affect my day. Nor should it!
So here I type, this post long overdue. All of the reasons are the reasons why I stayed away from Facebook. I jumped into the pool, swam around for a couple of days, avoided the dark spots where urine rested, started drowning, and swam my way back to safety.
My solid ground is at the Bean, Jr. residence with my wife, two cats, and Max. It is not in a virtual world.
I’m done, Facebook. We’re taking a much-needed break. It’s not me; it’s you.
Regards – RJ Bean