I have been disillusioned with Facebook for a while now, and this just pushed me over the edge. I can't go anywhere, visit any website, look through any magazine without seeing a:
or a:
everywhere I look. I'm getting really sick of it. And now they're putting their logos all over my DAIRY CATTLE? I won't stand for it! So I'm supposed to pull out my smartphone, go on Facebook, tell everyone I like the livestock barns at the fair, and then WHAT? Sixty thousand people get in their cars and race to Puyallup, WA to gawk at the Holsteins?
That's not what's going to happen. What's going to happen is that all of my friends are going to see an update that says "Randi Johansen likes the dairy cattle barn at the Puyallup Fair," and they're going to say to themselves, "Who cares?" That's what I say to myself every time I read a status update that says "Phew! I'm exhausted!" or "I love my amazing boyfriend!" or "It's hot outside!" or "Enchiladas for dinner tonight! Yum!" NOBODY CARES WHAT YOU HAD FOR DINNER, OK?
I worry about what Facebook is doing to us on a subconscious level. I think it's creating a generation of people who believe that every passing thought and feeling they have is somehow newsworthy. And if you think that the irony of what I'm doing right now is lost on me, you're wrong. In fact, I distinctly remember stretching the sentiment "It's hot outside!" into an entire blog post. The other day I saw a t-shirt that said "More people have read this t-shirt than your blog." So funny. And so true. I have Kool-Aid stains on my upper lip just like everybody else. I am full of self-loathing.
And then there's all of the political crap that makes my blood boil. I've got liberal friends posting their crap, and conservative friends posting their crap...why can't everybody keep their crap to themselves? What is the point of sharing such inflammatory bullish*t? To educate? To recruit people to their cause? It ain't gonna happen. And what do I do tonight, for example, when a lady from my ward at church posted a jaw-droppingly offensive political cartoon making fun of Muslims? I don't want to start a Facebook fight with a lady I barely know. In the end, I just flagged it and reported it to the Facebook people as "hateful speech."
And I would love to be able to purchase a song on iTunes without Ping getting all up in my business, too.
Gag. You know it's time to shut up when you start annoying yourself. I think I'll end this rant about social media with a little help from some social media:
11 comments:
AMEN! I've hidden about 50% of all of my Facebook friends after pouring through nonsense; that way, I can check back when I feel like it, but don't have to sift through their daily garbage.
PLEASE GIVE ME MORE RANDI RANTS! I LOVE 'EM. Also I was thinking of you last night when someone mentioned that abominable Christmas song "Il le ne le divin enfant." Abominable because it is in French and French is an abomination.
I hate that song! Did I ever tell you that, or did you just know I would agree with you? Bleeccchh. Hate it. Love you, though, and miss you lots!
I feel conflicted about facebook. It gives me an easy way to keep in touch with people that I love but don't live near. Facebook lets me know of some major events that I might otherwise miss or not hear about until too late (like info for the funeral of a friend's daughter next week). But feeling guilty because I didn't wish a happy birthday to people I haven't seen from high school who couldn't care less about me (& vice versa)? No thanks.
Scott Buchanan just read this blog!
I am having potato soup for lunch! Yum!
Randi - I love it. I find myself more and more annoyed with Facebook and status updates, but I just can't help but look. Happy to say I don't know a thing about Tweeting. But Pinterest, boy oh boy, there goes another hour of my day.
Aw Rand. Don't tell me you're not dying to know I made pumpkin cookies and pumpkin bread this afternoon, and about cried when I realized I forgot to get cream cheese for frosting for those cookies. That's a PERFECT status update. And I'm sure you would have nearly wept with me at the tragedy, had I posted it, right??
Kam "likes" your post.
I couldn't agree more. And I think I could use some more Randi Rants in my life to. They are very refreshing.
I found your blog via Aubrey and I've been meaning to comment on here for forever. I don't know what's taken me so long.
I hope things are going well for you. Feel free to hop on over to my blog and check out my soon to be expanding family. We're a little on the unique side. After 6 years of infertility we were blessed with out frist daughter through adoption. The day we picked her up at the hospital we found out I was expecting our second little girl. Now, less then two years later, little girl #3 is on her way. Yes, you can pity me :)
Anyway-good to be back in touch with you again.
Lots of love-
Camie
Well I found your blog while "blog surfing" and love it. And, I'll share my discovery on FB. So there!
People are very confusing. They want ways to communicate and share with others. Then, when people get something like Facebook (I have no ties to Facebook, Google+, Twitter, or any other social media site, as they are not necessities to life) they get annoyed/upset when other people take it a little farther then what they would prefer. In peoples' frustration, their rants come across as blaming the Provide such as Facebook. They are merely providing the means for our communication. I have a hard time understanding people that feel like they are obligated to participate in any of these Providers, and when they feel obligated to comment or react to any event that is posted by a friend. If you feel this way, it is because of your own personal issues about how you would like to be viewed by others. If you truely don't care what others are doing every minute of every day, why are so worried about affending someone because you didn't wish them a happy b-day (on a social media site). If they are truly that important to you, I would hope that you would call, text, or visit that person to wish them a happy b-day. We all have issues, we are very intellinge individually and we are all morons individually. If you get on Facebook, do what you went there to do and then get out. If you don't like the Logos all over everything, buy some shares of the Social Media Company in question and cast your votes as a partial owner. Or, another alternative is to look the other way when we see them. I understand how difficult it is to look away sometimes, so it may be easier to become a shareholder in the company for some. Good luck with this everyone, and I hope you will all be able to get through this terrible trial you are facing.
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