Too Many Friends

Ariel Leve has succumbed to peer pressure and joined Facebook.

I joined Facebook because I was told to I had to. “You’re missing out,” Sophie said. I enjoy missing out......But missing out on what’s going on with my friends is different. The disparate nature of peoples’ lives means I feel like I’m always in catch-up mode even with close friends.

No problem with that now.

Facebook means I can get status updates and as soon as I joined, one instantly appeared on my screen. “Liza is folding laundry.” I felt so included. God only knows what else I’ve been missing.

The atmosphere is different,and has it's good points.

In real life, my friends are disinterested and distracted. But in cyber life people are very excited (!!!) about everything!!!

The only thing better than having a social life without ever leaving the house is having no obligations or responsibilities for maintaining this beyond an occasional click of a button.....All of which has led to a startling discovery: I’m so much better as a virtual friend than I am as a real friend.

There are some oddities.

I thought about posting my own status update but figured “"I just woke up - going back to bed - may snore” wouldn’t be of much interest. I was wrong. There’s no minutia too small to report.

As usual, she's pessimistic.

I predict it will all end badly......I'll end up losing my real friends because I don't have enough time for them thanks to keeping up with new people I'll never see or speak to.

I've never looked at Facebook, but it sounds like a fancier version of the old instant messaging systems. I had some use for one then, but I really can't see a need now, and I'm not sociable enough to want to try to maintain communication with a bunch of strangers while trying to do what in my life passes for useful work.