I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook.
There. I’ve said it. Let the group therapy begin.
There’s the love: Facebook connects people. We stay in touch with friends, unencumbered by distance, time zones or personal circumstance. We can share stories, celebrate the good times and seek support during the bad. We can reconnect with lost family and friends and forge new relationships. And we’re exposed to fascinating content we’d never run across on our own were it not for Facebook. I love that part.
Then, there’s the hate: Facebook disconnects people. It magnifies misinformation. It gives rise to subjects that we shouldn’t be talking about for minutes, let alone days. It subjects us to inane incidents or comments or videos that go “viral” and try to force us to have opinions about them.
We begin thinking in status updates and often fail live in the moment. To share that I just had a bowl of Special K and now I have to go wake up my brilliant, sassy, witty and ridiculously smart child who just won the Westinghouse Prize, snagged a Genius Grant, scored the winning goal in her soccer game, made some revisions to Hawking’s Brief History of Time and did all this before her fourth birthday … and aren’t you glad you know that now?
And, have I mentioned the cats? My goodness, the cats. Videos. Graphics. Pictures. Memes. Of cats, doing weird things. Why is this necessary?
I will continue to struggle with Facebook and, sadly, that struggle does not show any signs of abating. With the support of my friends and family and that helpful group therapy, I hope to move steadily toward recovery.
I’m Wester Wuori and that’s my status update, I mean, Perspective.
