I do love Facebook. A Lot. But it has changed the way I think. I am constantly on the lookout for the next clever, amusing, or thought provoking status update to post. Should I tell my Facebook friends about the fact that one's feet get cold while researching the best site in which to create a blog? (Figuratively and literally, since it is the dead of winter and my kitchen floor is freezing.) There's a sparrow at my birdfeedeer. Do people need to know that? What about the realization I just had about exclamation marks within status updates? I have to tell everyone! I am my own audience to my daily life, sifting though activities as I do them and thoughts as I think them, deciding which to share. This is new.
What's also new is the way in which I read. Anything. I used to actually read things. Now I skim. I realized this a few days ago when I was reading an "important" letter from my health insurance company. I got to the end of the letter and realized I had just gotten the gist of the letter; details were lost. This was not good. Then I attempted to read an article on NYTimes.com. Skimmed it in 30 seconds while doing twelve other things on my computer (including Facebooking) and, whattaya know, I have no idea what the article said. I skim emails from close friends now too. Yesterday I missed the part in my friend's email where she said she was very sick, because she had mentioned it in the second paragraph. Well, Dearie, we Facebookers DON'T READ second paragraphs, because that's where it says all the useless repetitive stuff about "To see this comment thread, follow the link below...blah blah blah."
I always love a good novel, and usually have one going. Well I am still going through the motions of picking up the book and reading and turning pages and such, but alas! I am now constantly trying to force my eyes NOT to jump ahead to the next paragraph before finishing the one I am on. My mind goes, "So does she kiss him or not??" and I skip ahead, robbing myself of the juicy tension leading up to the moment.
Facebook is wrecking me and rendering me quite shallow. Hey! I think that'll be my next status update.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
have you ever gone to say something to someone, realized you've already posted it on Facebook, and begun your sentence with "I already posted this on Facebook, but..." Frightening. Nothing to say because I've already posted it and all my equally addicted friends have already read it.
ReplyDeletePerhaps we should all just bring our laptops along whenever we see each other and read through status updates together?
I'm not sure that this is just a Facebook phenom. I've written many postcards, letters, signs, emails, web sites, articles, papers, essays, facebook updates, resumes, cover letters, wiki pages, web pages, documentation, signs that I posted on everything and the conclusion I have come up with is that people don't read. Period. This is not new, in my opinion. I bet you've already stopped reading this. Eggplant. :) - bro
ReplyDeletehave to confess, I skimmed your blog, but don't worry, I caught the gist of it. : ) Sarah
ReplyDeleteA NYT column that speaks to this same issue: Link
ReplyDelete