facebook...

or myspace or twitter or whatever other social networking site you want to name off. I am on the fence with all of these. Okay, really I'm only on the fence with facebook because even though I have a myspace account I don't remember my login or password (it's been that long since I've used it). I found that having both a myspace and facebook account to be counter productive and so I followed my friends and family members and mere aquaintances and I think some people I've never even met to the facebook world. I do like to go on myspace occasionally to listen to music for free, though so if it's up to me we can keep it around.

However, Twitter is something that I can't wrap my head around whatsoever. Far as I know (since I haven't actually ever been on it) you just constantly update your status, like you can already do on facebook. And so if you're going to be a twitter person you must need a blackberry or an iphone or some other electronic device where you can access the internet 24-7. Since my cell phone barely calls and texts people the only time I'm on the internet often enough to make it worthwhile is when I'm at work and who wants to read: "Just answered the millionth dumb question from a college student. Who's on the admissions committee anyway?" or "Mmmm... data entry. My fav!" B-O-R-I-N-G!!! However, if I did have the internet on my phone it'd be extremely tempting to try to create the world's most boring twitters: "Woke up," "Brushing my teeth," "Going to the bathroom," "Taking a shower," "Combing my hair,", "Putting clothes on," "Making oatmeal. Mmmm!!!" And that is why I do not have the internet on my phone. It'd make it way too easy to patronize people.

Facebook is where I truly face my dilemma. I was vehemently against joining any social networking site (and was even completely unaware they existed at all prior to moving out here 4 1/2 years ago). Then, someone else created a myspace page for me and I started using it, ultimately realizing the benefit of it for someone who lives thousands of miles from some of her nearest and dearest. In particular, the picture posting function was phenomenol since for some reason most of my friends and myself couldn't figure out how to put them on the internet any other way. This particular reason is why I graduated from myspace to facebook. I was threatened that I'd never see any pictures from certain people if I didn't sign up. So I did but in defiance everything I wrote on my profile is completely untrue. It's pretty hilarious, though, how many people think facebook is the whole truth and nothing but the truth. My aunt actually called my cousin's wife not too long ago to ask if I was engaged. Now, I had just been at home for Christmas-by myself-so not sure how that leap would've been made. The strangest part was when I went on my facebook there wasn't even anything remotely linking me to an engagement or even a male in general. Once I also had a guy I'd been dating for a bit ask me if I was really in an open relationship (I mean, I guess I could have been. Technically I am but it wouldn't let me put Me, Myself, and I as the person I'm in an open relationship with. So okay, perhaps it wasn't the stupidest question in the world.)!

I like that you can easily share information with mass quantities of loved ones across state boundaries in mere seconds. But that's pretty much it. I don't like how you can make snap judgments about people. I've actually been turned off by guys I was dating once I saw their facebook pages. This guy I'm currently dating and I decided not to become facebook friends because we wanted to get to know each other the old fashioned way... via texting. My roommate asked me why I didn't facebook stalk him and I told her, "Honestly, I like him right now and what if I find out he has hundreds (or even one) of pictures of him shirtless in the mirror?" I don't think even a fifty year marriage would survive that one.

I also don't like how some people feel the need to update you on the most mundane aspects of their lives, particularly parents. I do not care about babies pooping unless it was extraordinary. Or if there's a weather phenomenon (particularly in the southwest where weather doesn't typically exist), event of historical significance, or other worldly event. These events seem to compel everyone to write the same, exact thing as their status. Like we couldn't have found out about it via yahoo or google.

Along the same lines, I don't like how some people overshare. And in all fairness these are the peeps who would do it anyway but facebook makes it that much easier to do and know about. I mean, really, no one wants the specific details concerning how you're looking for a house but your husband lost his job and now you might have to get food stamps and become a stripper and you just found out you're pregnant but the strip club is okay with that and you know that God will take care of you because you found Jesus after a binge pill popping incident back in '03. That is unless they are actually your nearest and dearest and I would hope that those I would count as being in that group would grace me with a phone call instead.

I also don't agree with the amount of time one can waste on that site. It does come in handy to find out everything you'd ever want to know about the people you went to high school with so you never actually have to attend a high school reunion (All awkward "How's it goings" forever avoided!). But at some point the online stalking yields nothing of any worth and that time could've been utilized to discover a cure for cancer, climb Mt. Everest, or at the very least finish Oprah's latest book club read.

But what I dislike the most is that I myself participate in all that I dislike, thus, making me a hypocrite One of the very worst kind of human beings in the world.). I mean, I don't give out the most intimate details of my personal life but then again offering any bits of information is participation in that. And does anyone really care about my morning surf sesh other than me (And maybe whichever friend went with me but then again he/she was there with me so why do they need to read about it on the internet?)? And as far as wasting time I am soooo guilty of this and something I'm currently in recovery for (writing this blog is part of that revovery). But apparently I still haven't been through enough therapy to give it up entirely as I still have a facebook page...