Facebook is where I consume and share news and opinions. It is also where I connect with long lost school friends, and socialize with other online mothers. Lastly, it is an amplifier for my blog, my name, and my brand.
Facebook is also not real.
Facebook is the modern equivalent to the family portrait and family newsletter. We post when our kids do well, when they look their best, and when we get a new haircut. If we have babies, we post a million pictures of them because babies are perfect and adorable… even when they’re not. That’s what Facebook is for.
Facebook is not for the ugly.
Even in the rare event that someone shares “the ugly”, it is still a crafted ugly – it is thought about and refined and chosen to be shared.
Am I saying I’m not honest with all of you on Facebook? No – I’m quite guilty of being honest…
But what I choose to share is only half a percent of what I am.
Facebook is a filtered reality that occupies so very much of our time. Yes, it’s an incredible tool for connecting with people from all over the globe. Yes, for many it fills a great need for a sense of support and community. Yes, it is a lightning fast way to share current events in real time and experience a collective consciousness.
It is also a stage.
It is like one of those video games where you get to pick and choose your attributes.
Everyone can be a humorist…
an activist…
a photographer…
heavily opinionated…
enlightened…
and everyone gets to have an audience.
But…
I’m grateful for the role I play…
and for the roles you’ve played in my Facebook life.
We are all a little more of our ideal selves. We care, interact, laugh, and pat on the back more than we do in person.
Don’t stop.
Fake it til you make it…
Because sooner or later,
changing your facebook avatar for a cause may make you think about real activism…
That witty comeback you finally posted days later may shake the dust off of your “in real life” wit…
The opinions you so heatedly type might lead to expressing them in your real voice…
and that “cyber hug” you posted on someone’s wall has the possibility to become a real gesture to make someone’s life easier.
Facebook is not real…
but it sure is good practice.
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Well put, as always.
best piece about what we really write and feel and how we as women, choose to share. That is why I love and abhor Facebook and social media all at once, “thank you for the stage, I’m not sure I wanted to be on.
”
it has made it so much easier to express a view, lend a hand, make a mark.
this was so well written and so true.
Kir recently posted..Attraction in the Aisles {Master Class & Trifecta}
Stooping over to congratulate you on your breakout blogger award. I agree with you about Facebook now that I think of it I don’t know anyone who really puts bad stuff on there I normally put pictures and whats going on good but on the flip side I put the bad stuff on twitter where the strangers are. I guess from strangers I don’t get judged like I would from people I know
Kita recently posted..Pinterest Wednesday Linkup
Ha… That’s very true. That’s why I always get nervous when I find out people I know read my blog. I let it all hang out here… but it’s supposed to be for strangers.
Stupid facking facebook. I love it and I hate it and I need it and I want to get rid of it and it makes me feel strong and weak and better and worse.
Facking Facebook.
Katie recently posted..baby steps
I have a complete love/hate relationship with facebook and I try to take it in small doses but I always end up with large ones.
I think I’m starting to love it completely…
I’m on it to comment and support, toss in a joke or two. But my true love: TWITTER. It’s love without the strings.
xo
How are you????
I can’t stand Facebook… but I do it because all the cool kids are.
Jen recently posted..No Gum Until You Are 16!
It is good practice. Also, where else can I hide people who annoy me without hurting their feelings? Genius.
Alex@LateEnough recently posted..Not Peeooping Part II
This is SO TRUE. I don’t know that I’ve ever read such an accurate portrayal of the absolute bullshittery that is Facebook.
Now I need to go post photos of my perfect children in their matching smocked, monogrammed outfits.
Jess recently posted..state of my ass. week 87
I recently moved to a place where Facebook is forbidden and in the three short [long] weeks I couldn’t access it (solved the problem), I REALLY learned to appreciate it, for better or for worse. Props to those who do keep it *real*. Thanks for the post!
Lauren Hesterman recently posted..On Weaning A Child Who Is Old Enough To Have Hair This Long
Facebook- like all of our online lives- is only a glimpse into who we are. I still like it, but I try to keep in perspective that whatever people choose to put out there(whether it’s fb, twitter, blogging or even IRL) is never anyone’s full story.
Shell recently posted..momAgenda Day Planner Giveaway