Facebook

It seems that nowadays everybody is using or talking about Facebook.
Was I missing something by not being surrounded and coddled by “friends”?

To find out, I decided a few days ago to take the plunge and sign with Zuckerberg’s gang.

Up to now I studiously kept away from all forms of social media. But curiosity got the best of me. So, have mercy on me, I tiptoed in.

Social media are curious. They seem to have an unhealthy interest in who you are.
They want to know when and where you were born, who are your family members, where you went to school, where you work, what relationships you have had… and more.
It seems a bit much. Even my lovers didn’t know that much about me.

If you are not careful (and kids are especially vulnerable) you could become prey to all kinds of shady characters trawling the web for easy marks.
So, if you sign up, don’t volunteer too much personal information. Follow the Geneva Convention protocol and just offer name, serial number and if they insist, your pet’s name. That’s all.

And then I wonder what I am really getting from Facebook besides bragging rights?
And who reads what I am posting? Everybody? My friends? The CIA? Al-Qaeda?
This is not very clear.

When you sign up, Facebook doesn’t provide a comprehensive User Manual.
It seems that the old Trial and Error method is the only way to proceed.
You bumble your way through the system and after repeated attempts you succeed or you give up.

So far, I am ambivalent about the whole thing. Who besides my few true friends would want to know what I did or what I ate for breakfast last Sunday?
And some people claim more than a thousand friends… Are they all interested in your mundane routines?

I might want to bail out but it doesn’t seem to be a slam-dunk.
I queried the Internet about how to unsubscribe from Facebook and the results are not encouraging.
Facebook is like the Church of Scientology or the Mafia. Easy to get in, difficult to get out.

As far as I know, there is no easy way to bow out. You might be able to do it but through a very convoluted way. There is alas no easy way out, no single “unsubscribe” button.
And if I decide to break out, will my former “friends” shun me? Will Zuckerberg’s goons hunt me down?
I don’t know.

I might stay but I am not too keen on letting the world know when I change my underwear or when I break wind.

Will I stick with my “friends”? The jury is still out.
Stay tuned…

Alain