I know this is long, but I promise it's worth the read.
Networking was an amazing revolution. When Facebook was introduced to the public, rather than the college dropout, it grew faster than charlie sheen's career's end. Facebook became the go-to place for individuals all over the world. Connect with old friends, old enemies, that smelly fat guy that sat across from you in History 1020, or even your best friends smoking hot mother. Regardless of who you choose to friend, or be-friend, everyone signed up for their new Internet Social Security Card.
To me, Facebook started to become more than a place to met up with friends. It became something more sinister. My Facebook page became my identity. My identity online, and somehow with unheard of wizardry, became my identity in person.
Now when I say, "My Identity In Person" I mean that every new person I meet, we no longer just exchanged Phone numbers. We exchanged Facebook pages as well. Not even that, we just KNOW that now we have some information on each other, we can simply search for one another and become (Facebook Friends.)
I have 217 Facebook Friends. A year ago, I conjured up almost 600 Facebook Friends. The reason the number has shrunk like being in a cold shower is this...
I know I don't have 600 "Friends" In fact, I don't even have 217. I have 6 Friends, 60 I talked to in high school but no longer keep in touch, and 141 acquaintances or online friends. My family fits in somewhere in these demographics somewhere, but I deleted everyone that I don't even talk to anymore.
Anyways, I have overheard people over the past years, talking about how someone upset them, or pissed them off in some sort of fashion, to where they said "Yeah, So I deleted [insert name here] from my Facebook". Yes, Friendships can now end just a click away apparently. I've also heard "He seemed like a really nice guy, but I found his Facebook and hes kinda weird."
For me, I have had situations similar, but not too extreme. To me, It was just too much information to keep a relationship flow at a reasonable level. For instance, I just met [insert name here]. We found each other on Facebook, looked at our pictures, interests, each others friends, their interests, ect. and before I knew it, I knew almost everything that normally would have taken me almost six very interesting months to figure out. Before I knew it, we got bored with each other, and now I have just another +1 for (acquaintances or online friends.)
This bugged me, So i went ahead and looked at all the pictures I had on Facebook, and all of the interests I put, movies, books, ect. I was shocked...
I had no idea that my pictures went back so far, and that I had so many... Where did all of these come from? If someone looked at my Facebook pictures, they would think I was some immature asshole with no life that liked to party.
No, those are just from High School... You see... I'm 24 years old, I've changed A LOT since then. Unfortunately, My Facebook pictures say otherwise.
*tagged* "OMG What a FUNNY NIGHT!"
*tagged* "DUDE, I CANT BELIEVE YOU HIT THAT"
*tagged* "What a dumb ***"
rare occasions, but since my friends are party animals, I now have the persona of being the same. And since Facebook is the Go-To place to judge someone before even getting to know them... I was pretty much screwed from the first click.
So I looked at my interests. Haven't looked at them in over 5 years. This could be (interest)ing
.. Nope, Don't like that movie anymore, In fact I hate it.
.. No, I Don't like dubstep, I do remember clicking that though after hearing it for the first time..
.. That TV show was to be funny, I hope people don't actually think I'm serious.
*deletes almost all of the interests*
My Facebook is a lie.
So i gave up. I said no to Facebook. I told everyone I was deleting my Facebook tomorrow and if they wanted to Keep In Touch, they could call my cell phone.
That's when it happened..
That's when it happened..
That's when it happened..
That's when it happened..
That's when it happened..
Mathew Gilbert, My best friend from Elementary school, Messaged me.
I moved from Kansas to Tennessee when I was only nine years old. I hadn't heard from Mathew in over 13 years. Well, two years ago on my 22nd birthday, he found me on Facebook.
He saw that I was deleting my Facebook, and he messaged me.
"Don't delete your Facebook, We need to keep in touch. I was just going threw some pictures yesterday and I found this. I've been holding on to it."
I never forgot this day..
This was 1 year AFTER I moved to Tennessee. I hadn't spoken to him that whole year, but my parents let me go back to Kansas to surprise him on his birthday because I missed him so much. I even remember hiding in his bed, and when he got home, his parents made him "clean his bed" and I jumped out and scared him.
14 years later of still barely no talking, our bond still holds just as strong. "Don't delete your Facebook" He says.
You have been the first to show me what Facebook was meant for. I am 9 in that picture. I'm 24 now. This picture has been the best thing that has happened to me in a long time. Not because It stopped me from deleting my Facebook, but because it has shown me true friendship. Friendship that lasts forever. A friendship that was forgotten, and because of Facebook, It has been renewed.
I wont delete my Facebook Mathew. I promise.
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