Ok….this post had to happen at some time during these 31 days of Creating Community. Not that I ever created this particular community. I wish. All credit to one very-bright-but-dropped-out-of-school genius and now billionaire for doing that. Yeah, thank you Mr Mark Zuckerberg for one of my most treasured communities, which became all too dear to me when we first moved to Dubai and I was so terribly and painfully lonely. Yip. Just call me Nigel. Nigel-No-Friends. Facebook quickly became a haven where I could put something, anything, and everything up and have people like it. I was looking for all the likes I could get – as Nigels do.
I’ll admit it here. I’ll admit it there. I’ll admit it everywhere. I love, love, love Facebook and maybe/possibly/could be addicted. But that’s a very strong word, so I’ll just click the Like button. As in LIKE!
I LIKE Facebook – ok!
Middle-aged women really should not be attached at the hip to anything. Especially the hip things people say and do on Facebook because really… middle aged women should be crocheting colourful covers for the spare wheels of their caravans while deciding which sensible shoes will go with their beige seersucker twinsets and pearls.
But seems I’m wrong…
Granted it’s an old study, but in 2014 according to Google: “The biggest growth (in Facebook users) came among adults over the age of 55. Facebook added 12.4 million new users from this age range, a massive 80.4 percent growth. It’s clear that Facebook is getting older, which may be exactly why teens are abandoning it in favour of micro blogging networks like Tumblr and messaging apps like Snapchat. After all, there is nothing cool about having parents and grandparents “liking” pictures of your friends.”
I think this is all too wonderful. You young ‘uns can have your Snapchat – at my age I like to have my pictures hang around a bit longer than a day, because I may not be hanging around for too many more days myself. Leave Facebook to us where we can find friends from fifty years ago and ask with arrant anticipation if they “Remember me?” And if they do – oh the jubilation ‘cos at our age we don’t remember much, especially where we left our now-ringing phones while we’re actually scrolling Facebook on them. Oh WhatTheFun of trolling old friends through the ages except when it becomes a 5,10, 15, 50 minute WTF-where-did-the-time-just-go exercise.
This is not a good thing. Especially as I spend almost the whole day in front of a computer wrestling with words and writing stuff. When said words are scarce, it’s all too easy to click across to Facebook and there, voila – a whole world of other peoples words and wonders wait. For me. To check them out.
Don’t get me wrong and to quote myself (can one do that?) “I’m so grateful for Facebook and the internet. I love the way that you can feed the world into its big mouth and out comes a Lego sized globe with everyone looking at everyone else – at the mere touch of a button. But along with that comes a fickle non-reality. That everything goes good with everyone all the time. Few people put their ugliest moment up for all to see, and comment and share and like. I bet you’d, heaven-forbid-dahling, never post a picture showing your dimpled belly, early morning drool face or any other such atrocity. Have to look good, have to look better, have to look best! “ (Seriously Slapgat)
I’m the first to put my hand up here and state that I most certainly only put my best foot forward on my facebook pages. The early morning drool face with no make up, no problem – I’m over and ok with that but just look at the pictures in this post, Beautiful Belles and you’ll see what I mean. Thatbestfootforward.com. I blush to admit that even this very morning, I was the one behind the camera, getting THAT perfect picture simply because my usual black yoga pants that hold-it-all-in where it should-be-held-in, were in the wash and my second choice has lost its grip giving me a soggy butt and knobby knees.
Oh how fickle the female.
Maybe Facebook is fickle too, but for me, it’s a mighty fine and fabulously friendly community.
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