Thursday, February 7, 2013

Facebook fulfilment

I am a malcontent but seriously, everyone on Facebook seems so happy and cheerful and active.
'I'm skydiving now right this minute! Watch me--streaming live feed!',
'This is a picture of my new pet piranha!'
'Look at my 3000 carat engagement ring.'

More and more and more. It is a never ending labyrinth of information exchange that leaves me feeling confused and lazy. And tired.

Are people doing more these days? Or are we just telling more about what we do these days.
I have had friends visit from out of town who sit at my dining table and instead of talking to me they are busy posting the fact that they are at my dining table to their other friends on Facebook.

Now I realize I am old fashioned but has this phenomenon not become a bit extreme. Extreme sports, extreme makeovers, extreme dieting. And now extreme friending?

Ok so I am not your usual Facebook type person. I have few friends. Even fewer close ones. I used to think I was a misanthrope but I am not really. I love talking to people. There are some friends I have who I wish would want to see me or talk to me as much as I do with them but alas I have had to accept that 'they are just not that into me as much as I'd like.'

I mull over whether I have wasted time and not cultivated enough close friends the kind you can just go visit without calling, for a coffee or a chat. Or maybe times aren't conducive to that. Or maybe since I live in America, its just not done here. In India that sort of calling on someone can be a huge pain in the neck. I will be the first to admit it. But still one wonders how it would be to have a friend like that-the kind Elizabeth Berg writes about. The kind whose kids grow up together and get married.

But enough about the real stuff.

Ah then there's Twitter. I opened a twitter account because my book's coming out soon.

Oh yes, how is this for a low key  announcement. My blog is misnamed now, thank you very much. My second novel will be coming out soon released by a fledgling publishing company. And my husband doesn't own it, neither does my brother. It is entirely unconnected to me by blood or friendship. That makes me legit at last!

Where was I? Oh yes Twitter. I opened a twitter account because I was told I should and I was told (at this seminar) to tweet regularly and create a following who will then perchance buy my book.

Tweet. About what exactly? I have opinions. I mean not horribly strong ones anymore. With two strong willed kids, I'm always bowing to a stronger will than my own. Can one not too strong willed tweet about anything with conviction? Who knows. I'm also too lazy to find out.

That's the other thing. This Facebook makes me feel like I am such a slacker. My 300 odd FB friends have visited countries in eastern Africa while I sit lounging about in my pajamas wondering what to snack on next. They are eating at the trendiest restaurants while I struggle to get a new dish to turn out right. They are doing so much. ALL the time. Getting the promotions, getting the fab jobs, traveling to the Arctic, having kids taking part themselves in six sporting events, sometimes all at once.

So is Facebook like a resume then?

Everyone is perfect on their resume. I mean everyone's resume has leadership skills, multitasking skills, people skills. Everyone has led projects worth a trillion $$. If everyone is leading who is following? Who is watching when everyone is skydiving and scaling mount Everest.

Who is left behind wondering why they are standing outside the coolest club, fully aware that even if they were inside they wouldn't know what to do?

Oh wait a minute. I know.

Its me.