Are you familiar with the Annoying Facebook Girl meme?
I’m sure you know someone like that. Heck, if we’re Facebook friends, your finger is probably pointed at me. Yes, I admit, I was that girl. Take note, I said WAS. As in past tense. As in now she’s just somebody that you used to know.
I can’t recall when the change happened, but it was sometime after I turned thirty, so I don’t know if this is signs-of-aging-related or something. It wasn’t cold turkey, though, but a step-by-step process. One day, I stopped feeling the urge to “check in” to the cinema I was in and letting the whole world know what latest hollywood blockbuster I was gonna be enjoying and missing the first few minutes of the movie in the process. Then weeks later, I decide that I can wait until later to Instagram the pictures of the food I was about to eat and actually eat them first because my tummy is already complaining. Then soon afterwards, I realize that I don’t need to tweet a blow-by-blow account of my “bonding time” with my friend and miss out on actually bonding with her.
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| Annoying Twitter Girl talks waaay too much (Those 15,316 tweets have been mass deleted) |
I guess it was also at this point that I lost my appetite to blog, which is the only bad part about this change that I went through. Why? Because I still believe in the importance of sharing stories. And in keeping memories. That was what attracted me to social media in the first place. What I am against is the urge to “instantify” this sharing process, which takes away from the present moment which you are supposed to be enjoying.
Let me explain.
In the examples I shared above, because of my need to be current and immediate, as in “I have to tell the world what I’m doing now!!!” I took my attention away from what I was supposed to be “enjoying” in order to document that I was “enjoying myself.” So I missed a few minutes of the movie and let my food grow cold and let my tummy suffer and ignored my friend for a while just so I could do this. See the problem?
Imagine if you went out on a date with a guy and he spent a lot of that time fiddling with his phone instead of paying attention to you. How would you feel? Major turn-off, right? Like OMG, how rude!!
Now think about how you do this to your own friends or family whenever you’re with them. How instead of giving them your hundred-percent attention like you would a first date, you ignore them in favor of virtual conversations happening elsewhere in the internet. OMG, how rude!! Right?
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| Disclaimer: Einstein apparently never said this, actually. But it’s still funny. In an ouch-that’s-true way. [source] |
I repeat, I don’t have a problem with documentation and sharing them. I will always take photographs to have something to look back on someday. And I will always keep telling my stories and sharing them because that is how to foster relationships. I just don’t need to share them at the exact instant they are happening.
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This post is part of the A to Z Challenge, a blog hop that goes through the alphabet for all the days of April except Sundays. I have decided to go with the theme of Alliterations.
I agree. I look at my friend's FB page and it is sooooo boring. And it drives me nuts that so many people text and only text – really, you can't pick up the phone and actually call, or stop by for 5 minutes?
Text killed calls and talks. Tsk tsk.
I am trying hard to put down all the "instant access" stuff and pay more attention to real life and real moments!
It's a struggle, I know. I go through the same.
I like Facebook, but do have to focus on staying in the actual moment that I'm living. It's too easy to focus on the rest of the world and miss the people you're spending time with.
That's so true
SO spot on! This is a good defense for why I don't have texting – I am on the computer a lot at home, but when I'm not at home, I don't text – I admit I have used my kindle on wifi networks some, but not ignoring friends while with them. I have had friends who spend half the time they're with me texting, which is annoying. I'm here, talk to ME! I also don't have internet
I don't mind at all, in fact I like it! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the matter. Looks like we share the same POV. I also take A LOT of pics. 😛
I will admit I have been having a problem getting distracted by the web on my kindle, but I'm trying not to be =)
You are so right.I laugh at facbook when someone says they're having a great night out with friends,it can't be that great or you would be talking to them and not on facebook.
Haha solid point!
Yeah, I think we all need to remember to live in the moment and enjoy it rather than worry about constant updates. I'm not on Facebook much, but when I do check into it, there does seem to be a lot of stuff like this!
Good for you for not being Facebook addicted like most of the world
I really liked this post. It's so true. Nothing wrong with sharing. But this instant technology prevents us from really being *present* where we are. I hate it when I see people in the grocery store or even with their kids while on the phone. People just aren't present anymore. There' s a cool Facebook page about this – it's called HandsFree. She had a similar revelation to yours.
"People just aren't present anymore." – I like this! It is so true!
Ok, I did post to Facebook but it was my FIRST Earthquake ever! That's kind of a big deal when you grow up on the Canadian Prairies. 😛
Haha that should be ok then! Singapore locals had the same reaction as you when an earthquake was felt here for the first time in ages. They panicked and didn't know what to do and I was like: oh earthquake, okay. Lol.