Like most folks online, I have a Facebook presence. I see it as one of those odious adult responsibilities, done not because it's fun or rewarding, but mainly because that's just what folks do nowadays. I've made peace with that reality, but I also see there's a whole no-win protocol that comes along with being on Facebook: People you don't know who want to be your 'friend', or folks from back in college who were never friendly at all, or professional colleagues who are sometimes downright hostile; all wanting to be chummy online, but not so much in the real world. Fine: they send a 'friend' request, and it demands attention on your Facebook page. "Ignore"? Hmmmm; that's seems rude, even towards someone who's pretending we're actually 'friends'. "Accept"? Then the circle gets larger, causing even more unknown- or quasi-hostile acquaintances to shuffle forward, asking for proof of our 'friendship'. Arghhh! There's no winning it.
I've also observed a certain type of Facebook personality who seems to be in a frantic rush to see how many 'friends' they can accumulate. It's apparent it's almost all about professional networking: they hope to get gigs or claw their way into a higher echelon of freelancing by having lots of 'friends' in the professional community. That looks so cheap. Be honest: a classical musician with 4,000 'friends' the world over? Not likely. Those who do this, be aware: your motives are transparent, and you look like the smarmiest type of hand-shaking, joke-making, back-slapping used car salesmen on the planet.
No comments:
Post a Comment