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I use FB. I enjoy keeping up with friends, family and neighbors that way. I don't even mind the occasional political BS. but here's what I don't get. I have friends who are on vacation right now. Yet, they post every few moments about where they are and what they are doing. Not just the obligatory family portrait in front of that famous street sign or restaurant, but frequent "check ins" too.And they aren't the only family to do this.
I mean, I'll do that once in awhile if I'm waiting for a concert to start, or something like that, but I just don't get the idea of adults with their nose in a smartphone while visiting a beautiful or exciting landmark.
I guess I'm old.

Its not just you. I find it odd and very annoying.

I actually did a spoof post on FB about this very thing.
I basically did one VERY long post that updated my "status" every hour or so.
It included entries like:
11pm - Bathroom break before headed to bed.
1am - Jolted from a deep sleep by the searing smell of a dog fart.
6am - Woke up after a sleepless night of updating my FB status every hour, but I shall press on!
9am - Jarred from sleep to find the "Enter" key lodged in my forehead and my supervisor standing over me.

You get the idea....
My sane friends got a kick out of it. A few that like to post their daily bowel movements missed the point....

When I went to visit my brother this summer, we went to a concert with his girlfriend and some of her friends. My brother sat in his seat Facebooking the whole time. (His girlfriend spent about half that on Twitter.) At one point, I asked my brother if he was having a good time. I mean, how could anyone tell? He said he was having a blast, but he hadn't looked up or said a single word the entire time we were there!
Mind boggling.

[This message edited by carnelian at 8:35 PM, August 19th (Monday)]

Couldn't agree with you more. The over sharing and being so focused on giving the impression that you are living a wonderful life, than actually being out there living it, boggles my mind. I expect it in teen girls to a certain extent I guess.. but not full grown adults. Who has the time for it?
I think it's a great tool for keeping up with people and posting some photos. But when you've got 500 friends and 7000 pictures?

Not only the teeny-bopper-ness of it, but think about it...anyone who knows you - good or bad - knows your house is sitting there all empty and shit...I'm sure more than one house has been robbed by someone posting how they are away on vacation on FB...just sayin'...

I'm so sick of going out to dinner and seeing couples at the next table doing their own thing, noses in their BlackBerries. Really? What's the point of spending money to dine together if you don't talk and interact? My daughter says they are probably texting each other!!!!!!

[This message edited by lynnm1947 at 9:05 AM, August 20th (Tuesday)]

Gee, what a great way to advertise to everyone that you are away and that your house is empty and ripe for being robbed.

I post a few pics after I return. But during? Oh hell no!

The fitness attention whores irritate me. One of my other friends posted something to the effect of, "Not widely known, but it IS possible to work out WITHOUT posting about it on Facebook!" Cracked me up.

The fitness attention whores irritate me.

Though I never would consider myself a whore in any way, shape or form, I'm guilty as charged here.

For me, it's more about personal accountability and achievement. Those that are supporting my lifestyle change process and subsequent progress get this.

AJ's MOM

[This message edited by ajsmom at 9:24 AM, August 20th (Tuesday)]

I have a few friends also that post about every single thought that comes into their heads. All day long.....and I think now as a society we use facebook more to avoid deep and personal interactions and just go for the cheap and quick celebrity attention ho moments. Hey! We don't need to watch Jerry Springer anymore because we have access to it every moment of every day on our social media....

I like it for keeping up in the lives of family and friends, and I also use it some for my business connections and getting people together to hang out. I don't mind occasional posts about what is going on with someone or what they are thinking, and I actually love thought provoking posts when people are learning new lessons in life. But it is mind-boggling when you see people that spend their whole day ignoring real life people and living in virtual reality.

I also think it is used as escapism and I see it as an addictive habit for some....

Though I never would consider myself a whore in any way, shape or form, I'm guilty as charged here.

For me, it's more about personal accountability and achievement. Those that are supporting my lifestyle change process and subsequent progress get this.

I have a lot of friends on FB who are trying to lose weight/be healthier. Their posts don't bug me. I'm thinking in particular of a girl I know from high school who posts about "gettin' it in!" at the gym all the time, pictures of herself in scanty clothing, status updates regarding the many men who've hit on her, the famous people she met at a big-shot party, her mega-important job . . . etc. etc. etc. That's the kind of person I'm talking about. Where the post about the workout is accompanied by a cleavage-revealing shot of the workout gear and a sexy pout.

But when you've got 500 friends and 7000 pictures?

Ouch. I've got around 500 friends, and well over 7000 photos on my page. I use it to keep in touch and share my adventures with friends and family in a few dozen states and half a dozen countries.

If you don't want to use facebook, that's no big deal, but really, criticizing people who do? That's where I

For me it's not as much a criticism as it is an I don't get it. I mean, these friends of mine are in a GREAT VACATION PLACE. I'm loving their pictures. But I'm not getting the status updates while they are viewing the amazing and interesting sites. I know when I go on vacation, I'm just a too busy. Maybe they are just very talented smartphone users.

Here's my FB rant of the day.

People who come out of the woodwork when something bad happens to someone and comment about it on Facebook... people who never cared much before... who make the bad situation their own... who have no thought or respect for true family and friends.

My rant is based on my BFF passing away yesterday after her battle with cancer. No sooner had word started (that's the operative word - started) to get out when people on the periphery started posting RIP messages all over Facebook. And some FAMILY - like nieces who were away at college and deserve to hear from their parents - had not been notified and found out that way.

Seriously, not a single of these postings was from a person in her inner circle. Think, people, dammit. What gives you the right?!

(and if I may sidetrack for a moment - "RIP" is ugly and gross and emotionless and almost cartoonish and should never be used. I hate it. I am so angry today. Sorry.)

((((stroppy))))

So sorry to hear of the passing of your friend.

ScaredyKat, that's how I feel about people who spend 20-30 minutes getting one photo with a huge camera. I don't personally value spending that much time looking through a lens. But yep, I'll snap a pic of most cool things I see and pop it up on facebook while traveling. If we're moving quickly, it'll be an album at the end of the day instead of throughout, but I spend 10-15 seconds doing it while some people spend 30 minutes with a camera that cost more than my laptop. To each their own.

Only my 220ish friends can see my updates so there isn't a whole planet Earth that knows I'm on vacay. But my friends? Oh hell yeah they know I'm on vacay because I'M ON VACAY BITCHES!

Or, if I'm drinking with my gf's. Lordy there should be a breathalyzer on the FB upload.

edited to fix horrific wrong use of "there"

[This message edited by Rebreather at 11:27 AM, August 20th (Tuesday)]

Well Ama, perhaps I wasn't clear that there is someone in particular I know IRL who practically lives on it. Just as you don't understand someone who'll spend 30 minutes on photography, I don't understand this particular person who is so intent on presenting things a certain way to her legions of followers while her kids and other things are sadly unattended.
It wasn't directed at you personally. It is pointless to me so I don't really know how to present that any other way. Not something I spend a whole lot of time thinking about though.

Gee, what a great way to advertise to everyone that you are away and that your house is empty and ripe for being robbed.
I post a few pics after I return. But during? Oh hell no!

This is what I first thought.

Lol. And I'm the one with the crazy big camera, and I still take thousands of picture... But I still post only a few, I'm not that cruel!