THE GREAT FB DEBATE

Couple of points:

1. you know those funny videos you keep getting from all and sundry, the ones which pop up on your Wats App and you feel you really should open them because the person at the other end is awaiting breathlessly for the two blue ticks to appear and a laughing emoji (which you need to send even when the video is oh so not funny)? They are from Facebook. Yup all those videos originated from good ol facebook.
2.  There are the have’s and have not’s when it comes to Facebook, and the have-nots seem to spend a considerable amount of time asking the have’s to use facebook for them (e.g. please post this item I need to sell on FB for me, please ask if anyone has this item etc)
3. There are a few types of Facebook users, which I will put in to a useful. easy to read list for you below:

• The ones who as they open their eyes, check to see if any new, random friends have appeared overnight, for these users the most important aspect of FB is the amount of friends they have. Sad fact insertion these are usually rather lonely, unhappy people who actually have no friends outside of their Facebook world.
• The ones who post all the pictures they ever take, be it of the Cheerios they had for breakfast, the new box of tissues they just purchased (look world its a different colour to the tissues I usually buy…oh I live on the edge) and the worst offenders, the ones who post picture after picture of their loved one, be it sitting on his lap, sharing his drink, at the movies, café, park, car, home, shop, office, airplane, train, spaceship… every single moment is captured for one reason and that reason is to share it on FB so the world can see how in love you are. Another sad fact insertion check their FB   a few days later and you will usually see an update to “relationship status changed to single.. and all those pictures somehow have vanished only to be replaced a few days later with another lot of ( insert above list of lovey dovey pictures here).
• The ones who post nothing but be aware, these are the ones who are watching , reading, seeing everything you write, every picture you post and every comment you make.
• The ones who spend their time on groups, usually these groups go by the name of something like ” tips for moms who are bored” “tips for mums who have nannies and are checking FB from the gym/ nail salon/ local upmarket coffee shop. These people love nothing better than having a good old fight, writing deliberate argumentative comments just to give them the thrill they are sadly lacking in their lives.
•  The ones who post every issue, problem, idea, pain they have forgetting that their 436900000 Facebook friends see it all.

The list can go on and on…. so I ask myself why use Facebook? not that I have ever watched it ( yea ok…. maybe once…or twice..10.30am ITV…) but Jeremy Kyle goers seem to spend a lot of time on stage yelling at each other about how they saw on FB that their boyfriends sisters brother aunts mothers god-daughter uncle twice removed is having an affair with their cats owners grandmothers mothers stepson who lives in Antarctica, so what is the attraction of FB and why spend time using it, posting it and looking at things other people post.

I just want to mention that I do not think anyone under the age of 18 should be allowed to use Facebook, obviously this would need monitoring by parents/gaurdians/ care givers and I can not claim to have any real insight in to the minds and emotions of teenagers but knowing a few 16 year olds, I feel that at 16 people are not ready to be on facebook, though Mark Zuckerberg would disagree with me and allow anyone over the age of 13 to use FB but hey, what do I know.

So, I have spent most of this article criticising FB, a year ago I went through hell as a result of someone on FB launching a terrifying, anxiety inducing campaign of terror against my family and other families, he did this through FB, he took my pictures, and would write posts on his wall threatening to kill my family. At that time I deleted all of my FB pictures, and left it for a while, but the FB pull is a strong one, I now have very high security settings, and do not post a lot of pictures. Some may say I should have just left FB there and then, why put myself and my family through that again and they may be right, but Facebook is clever, you can not delete your account, what you can do is “deactivate” your account and Facebook will oh so helpfully tell you that your account will not be deleted for 14 days during which with a click on a button your back on Facebook hey presto.

Below are the reasons I am on Facebook

I sell a lot of things, both my own stuff and for friends and family, it is free, easy, local etc.

I can get a recipe or an idea of what to make within minutes of posting on a kosher recipe group, even better are the gluten-free groups with endless information as having a husband who is a celiac can be rather daunting at times!

The London Bet Din Kashrut department has an amazing Facebook page, take a picture of something, post it on their page and usually pretty quickly they will tell you if it is kosher or not.

I wrap (no…not that kind of wrapping) I wrap my hair, meaning I wear a scarf and not a wig (as you will know if you have been paying attention to my other blogs…have you???) I am part of an amazing group of women on Facebook who wrap their hair for a variety of reasons, be they Muslim, Jewish, Christian etc, be it they have lost their hair through illness or they cover because they like it, there are no politics or arguments, we all have a connection through our wrapping and its a great group to be part of.

I have been back in touch with people I lost contact with years ago, people who were at one point in my life very important to me, a friend from school, a lodger who lived with me so many years ago etc, it is wonderful to see a picture of them now.

Whatever I need someone will have it, be it a costume for my 7-year-old for a school event, to a table or two for an event, someone out there will have one I can borrow and many a time I will have something someone else will need.

When looking for gifts for anyone of any age, someone on Facebook will have a fantastic idea.

As a carer for the elderly I am part of a support group on Facebook for carers, it is a wonderful group.

I run a closed group ( a group with high security settings) for people who suffer from mental health issues. It is a wonderful support group.

There is a fantastic group supporting people who have stopped smoking.

I can get recommendations for make up artists, hairdressers, dress makers, toy stores, book stores, stores for anything I need, I can get free legal and HR advice.

Ok and I admit it, I do sometimes like to share a picture of my daughter just being the coolest kid out there, or my husband ( who by the way would never go near facebook) being the greatest husband he can be….

All in all, provided Facebook is used in the correct way, it is a tool for good. We are very quick to criticize, especially about things that we actually have no real experience of.

So now, all that is left to do is post this blog on to Facebook….and no, I wont feel the need to throw myself off a cliff if you do not press the like button…but hey, it would for sure give me a boost, knowing you are enjoying my writing.

Lots of Love

Sara

 

 

 

 

 

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