Facebook Syndrome

Facebook Syndrome AKA Facebook and the Ever Challenging Social Media Life

 

The past 5 days I have been without my cell phone. At first I literally had a panic attack. What will I do? What if something happens and I can't reach someone or they can't reach me? What if a random pizza delivery driver happens to swerve into an oncoming car, thus creating a fiery inferno, and I can't make that important 911 call?

 

Uh...ya. None of those imagined things came to pass and I'm glad, especially the pizza delivery driver scenario, but it did teach me a valuable lesson. I can live without my cell phone. It has become a crutch that I do love to use but it isn't the end of the world.

 

I also came to a realization about Facebook tonight when I was working on some homework for one of the many classes I take to help keep my mind sharp. It is about social media in the workplace. A decade ago you would not have even really correlated the two entities as being related but trust me...they have.

 

Facebook can break friendships, relationships and cause you to question every single thing about yourself. You see these people who lead super happy lives and then you glance around your messy house and sigh. You aren't taking fabulous vacations. You aren't out with your boyfriend/girlfriend/wife/who the fuck ever. You are at home with your cats. You aren't making those fabulous home cooked extravaganzas. You whipped out the cell phone and ordered from your favorite pizza delivery driver (the one whom did not cause a fiery inferno.)

 

These "friends" of yours are all so happy, fulfilled, raking in money and leading good lives and you are left comparing yourself to them. STOP COMPARING YOURSELF. It is mostly a lie. Of COURSE people are going to put the positive things down. Who is going to be realistic (besides me because I'll put down anything but that is just me) and talk about how their joints ache, they can't poop and their spouse is seeing the pizza delivery driver (the one who probably caused the fiery inferno.)

 

Hello, My name is Shonté and I suffer from Facebook Syndrome. Here is my definition for this very real disease.

Facebook Syndrome: someone who has let a social media site dictate their actions and their feelings. Example: Dude, she has Facebook Syndrome written all over her.

 

Now Facebook Syndrome is closely linked to Spasmodic Facebook Syndrome (SFS for short) which is when someone completely spasms because they cannot compete with their neighbor, their friend did not "Like" or "comment" on a post, or they were unfriended. (Did you know that is now a truly legitimate word? Unfriended is now in the dictionary as of this year. Eh...works for me.)

 

Now being Unfriended is a completely different ballgame than keeping up with all those shiny happy people. People who suck by the way and are completely faking it. No one is THAT happy or on uppers about life all the time. No one has a Molly Freaking Sunshine in their lives that is so insanely happy about her life that she gushes all the time and loooooooves her life and loved ones. My answer to her, or him, is STFU capped off with a two fingered salute.

* Yes this is my more edgy one and I'm perfectly fine with cursing. If you aren't then you shouldn't be reading anything by me. *

Being Unfriended can suck. Wait, it does suck. Everyone gets unfriended from time to time. It might be that you are posting too many game updates and queries. It might be that they just don't know you anymore. It may be that they don't like you. I don't know. I periodically go through and clean my list when I haven't talked to the person ever, or in the last few years. Generally I only do it when someone pisses me off though. I even unfriended my best friend once because I was having a mad fit. It's okay because she then blocked me. AND that is DEFINITELY a different topic. That is like being chained outside your favorite store on Black Friday when everything you love is 99% off. (She was off the Christmas Card list until she sent me birthday flowers and we made up. Or maybe it is because I love her.)

Now why am I bringing this up? Oh yeah. Because I recently found out a work friend? acquanintance? person I pass in the hall? someone I know? (I can't think of what really to call her. We didn't talk much but I did think she had kick ass hair.) Well she unfriended me. It was a hit to the pride. Why? What did I do?

Then I just kinda grinned and said, "Oh well." Because honestly I don't know her. We aren't friends. We were friendly to each other but it has legitimately been two months since I've been to work since my back incident. I'll be going back soon and I'm just enough of a sarcastic bitch that I'll mention it. I'm not mad at her and hopefully if she's cool she will just laugh and say something equally bitchy and sarcastic. That's the way to my heart. It's why me and Kat love each other so much.

 

So here is the thing: If I unfriend you then don't be upset because many times I get in a funk and delete people, convincing myself that I'm finally going off grid and going to get rid of Facebook. Other times i just clean out my list so I can see the people I actively talk to on a regular basis. I'm not a friend collector like my daughters.

The lesson here is don't let social media weigh you down. Don't get mad about what is posted but always feel free to write down what you are thinking and saying provided you are willing to stand up to the oncoming backlash, if there is ever one. It is a lesson you should take with you no matter where you go or what you do.

And if you see my pizza delivery driver...tell him I promise to add him to my Christmas Card list. You keep reading my blogs and you will get to be on it too! Maybe even make the cookie list. :)