Facebook: The Online Soap Opera

But there must be a way to reach people without spouting apocalyptic rhetoric however truthful. Perhaps something less general and more personal would help. How about the idea that social networking with friends on a public forum leads to a life straight out of the daily soaps? Anyone who uses Facebook on a regular basis must have run across this phenomenon. Every action you take on Facebook appears on the News Feed of every other friend in your list. Yes, but you say, isn't that the whole point? This is true. But are there not things you would want only certain friends to know? With Facebook everyone from an acquaintance you met at a bar, to your own parents or siblings see what you post. In order not to be rude, you don't say "no" to adding someone to your friends list now do you? Many assumptions and wrong conclusions result from simple posts on a website. Unless of course you have the memory of an elephant you will trip up with things you say and do from one friend to the next. In addition, your friends will make public, things that you wish not to, about yourself. Usually it isn't out of revenge or malice, just ignorance. A few examples are in order to flesh out what is meant in this paragraph.

Example One: A friend calls and invites you to an outing. You accept. But soon after, another friend invites you to something that you would enjoy more. Perhaps it is a concert of a band that you really like. In order not to hurt the first friend's feelings, you call back and tell a lie saying some emergency came up. The friend understands since she/he doesn't know you chose someone else over her/him even though you accepted her/his invitation first. You attend the concert and have a blast. Your friend takes pictures. This second friend doesn't know you cancelled a previous engagement because she/he would look at you as an opportunist; if the friend has any integrity. The second friend then returns home after the concert and posts the pics on Facebook. Now you have to ask the second friend to remove the pics (or the date on them at least) or hope the first friend doesn't see them. A fight will occur and a friendship may be lost if the first friend sees them.

Example Two: You are dating two or more women at once. Others may think this is wrong but you do not. You're single and looking for the right person in your life and are seeing various women to see which one is best for you. You may have even explained to some that you are not dating them exclusively but it is more likely that you are not telling each your actions when absent from their presence If you are familiar with most people's reactions to this style of living you come to the conclusion that these women will disappear from your life once they find out about the others as it is an issue of pride and self respect. Now try to do this when one puts on Facebook that she is in a relationship with you: or another sends you a suggestive present to your gift box

These examples are just two of the situations that you will encounter when using Facebook. It will occur as it is unavoidable unless you tell every one of your friends all the actions you take when not in their presence. You will eventually be leading the life of a celebrity, with all its public scrutiny, without the millions of dollars to make up for the intrusion. Even if you are a scrupulous person and always above board, you will still be explaining things to others as they will see items they will conclude are not as you state. Jealousy from women who see a new girl added to your friend's list. An anonymous given from an admirer can cause a fight. An honest mistake in memory that contradicts a picture on your page is another common cause for aggravation. Its all fun and games at Facebook!

There is a nickname given to Facebook by many in its users calling it Crackbook, because of its addictive nature. You can spend hours on it daily, especially with all the third party additions that Facebook allows to be added. But a better name for the site perhaps should be "The Facebook of Our Lives" or "As Facebook Turns." You choose.

Facebook: The Online Soap Opera - Page 1

Article by:
The Ignorant Intellectual

Back To Exposure Online Magazine