We all know it, we've all seen it, if you are a regular Facebook user, you know what I'm talking about. We can classify personalities based on Facebook profiles. I wouldn't be surprised if the great scholars have already performed research and published their findings (I haven't seen anything that's been shared on Facebook yet). Any regular Facebook user, like moi, can safely conclude that their Facebook friends fall in three major buckets: 'the Over-sharers', 'the Insecure' and the 'Are-they-still-alive' with some overlaps in between of course best represented in a traditional Venn diagram.
The Over-sharers
They like to share everything, from their breakfast pictures to their moods swings with an almost minute by minute update of their daily lives, that makes you feel like your watching one of those really boring reality shows with the cameras capturing every single moment. Your News Feed will only feed on them to a point that you feel like you've had enough of this unending soap opera and its about time you changed the channel or you hover too close to the un-friend button of this Facebook friend.
Every small thing has to be shared with all their friends, instead of enjoying the moment, its more about I have got to put this on Facebook without realizing the lost beauty of a moment which was instead spent on typing a status message and then either repeatedly checking how many people 'liked' it or responding to those who do or maybe wondering why hasn't anyone responded. I see too many people in restaurants together but, on their phones updating their Facebook with their latest "checked-in at".
The Insecure
A lot of these folks seem to share the previous bucket, these are the ones that have to make it appear that they are living the life. They have the greatest job, the bestest (i had to use this superlative) of friends and of course the world's best boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse/spousal-equivalent/partner. I would so like to ask these people
- if you have the greatest job, why are you on Facebook at work, you should be to busy enjoying doing your work,
- if XYZ is an amazing friend why aren't you two enjoying each other's company and doing something fun together instead of professing lifelong friendship to each other on Facebook,
- if you have the world's best boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse/spousal-equivalent/partner, why do you have to waste precious life moments by writing this message to them on Facebook instead of talking to them directly or being with them instead.
For them its a competition with themselves to continually try and maintain how great their life is on Facebook.
Another strange thing I've noticed is the tit-for-tat reaction. Once you friend them initially, they will comment and like practically all your updates/pictures which I feel creates this undue expectation of reciprocity, but beware should you stop at any point, you shall be deprived of their kind words and the 'Thumb-ups'. But, worry not for you shall be forgiven as easily, once you mend your ways and find your way back to the old days when you would dutifully oblige your friend.
Are-they-still-alive
Either they don't have a Facebook profile - I'm almost suspicious about people who say they don't have a Facebook profile, are they hiding something? - or they are on Facebook once a blue moon, like coming out of hibernation and then they drop you a sudden message or 'like' a couple of things or outright ask you where have you been. I'd like to shout out to them to say well I was here all along on Facebook, where have you been? But, then I think maybe these are the folks that are really living their lives and not creating a Facebook-version of life.
Not to appear preachy but, social networks are there for us to keep in touch with those we may not have been able to otherwise. I mean I like seeing an update that a old school-mate got married or a friend from college became a parent or someone saw something amazing today and shared the moment or picture with all their friends. But, when I see someone falling in the first two categories perpetually, I worry a bit and hope that its just a "Facebook" phase.
The Over-sharers
They like to share everything, from their breakfast pictures to their moods swings with an almost minute by minute update of their daily lives, that makes you feel like your watching one of those really boring reality shows with the cameras capturing every single moment. Your News Feed will only feed on them to a point that you feel like you've had enough of this unending soap opera and its about time you changed the channel or you hover too close to the un-friend button of this Facebook friend.
Every small thing has to be shared with all their friends, instead of enjoying the moment, its more about I have got to put this on Facebook without realizing the lost beauty of a moment which was instead spent on typing a status message and then either repeatedly checking how many people 'liked' it or responding to those who do or maybe wondering why hasn't anyone responded. I see too many people in restaurants together but, on their phones updating their Facebook with their latest "checked-in at".
The Insecure
A lot of these folks seem to share the previous bucket, these are the ones that have to make it appear that they are living the life. They have the greatest job, the bestest (i had to use this superlative) of friends and of course the world's best boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse/spousal-equivalent/partner. I would so like to ask these people
- if you have the greatest job, why are you on Facebook at work, you should be to busy enjoying doing your work,
- if XYZ is an amazing friend why aren't you two enjoying each other's company and doing something fun together instead of professing lifelong friendship to each other on Facebook,
- if you have the world's best boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse/spousal-equivalent/partner, why do you have to waste precious life moments by writing this message to them on Facebook instead of talking to them directly or being with them instead.
For them its a competition with themselves to continually try and maintain how great their life is on Facebook.
Another strange thing I've noticed is the tit-for-tat reaction. Once you friend them initially, they will comment and like practically all your updates/pictures which I feel creates this undue expectation of reciprocity, but beware should you stop at any point, you shall be deprived of their kind words and the 'Thumb-ups'. But, worry not for you shall be forgiven as easily, once you mend your ways and find your way back to the old days when you would dutifully oblige your friend.
Are-they-still-alive
Either they don't have a Facebook profile - I'm almost suspicious about people who say they don't have a Facebook profile, are they hiding something? - or they are on Facebook once a blue moon, like coming out of hibernation and then they drop you a sudden message or 'like' a couple of things or outright ask you where have you been. I'd like to shout out to them to say well I was here all along on Facebook, where have you been? But, then I think maybe these are the folks that are really living their lives and not creating a Facebook-version of life.
Not to appear preachy but, social networks are there for us to keep in touch with those we may not have been able to otherwise. I mean I like seeing an update that a old school-mate got married or a friend from college became a parent or someone saw something amazing today and shared the moment or picture with all their friends. But, when I see someone falling in the first two categories perpetually, I worry a bit and hope that its just a "Facebook" phase.
