On Facebook

I’ve noticed a certain trend amongst my friends lately, one that, at first, made me questions some of my decisions.  However, upon further thought, I have decided that I just don’t care.  This trend happens to be the “Facebook is dumb and I don’t spend any time on it” trend.  For a minute or two I questioned my own use of Facebook, considered that perhaps I was sharing too much of myself and my family, but this line of self-doubt didn’t last very long.  Because, my friends, I am here to say, for the record, that 1) I am very uncool and 2) I love Facebook.  It’s true.  I love looking at pictures of my far-flung family and friends, seeing their faces reflected in their ever growing children.  I love knowing what people are interested in, what makes them laugh and what makes them think, and while OF COURSE I would rather have these conversations and photo-sharing sessions in person, the fact is that I can’t, at least not that often.  And that’s where Facebook fills in the gaps.  People lament that social media has, perversely, made us more disconnected from one another, but I’m not sure I totally buy into that argument.  I feel closer to my friends after I’ve viewed pictures of their vacations, like I’m a small part of their lives, and I’m grateful to people for sharing these moments with other people, albeit rather anonymously.  I can watch my nephews lose their teeth, graduate from kindergarten, and eat pizza.  I can follow my favorite bloggers and know when they post something new.  None of this makes me feel less connected from the world, and since we’ve already established that I’m patently uncool, I think I’ll just keep on keeping on.

Besides, how else would I bombard people with pictures like these?