Got My Eye On You

Facebook fascinates me.  I have many friends and they have many others and our shares and comments overlap.  Our friends get to know one another, argue, laugh, advise, sometimes without ever meeting.  I have found lost classmates from elementary school, reconnected with neighbors, cousins, old boyfriends (no dates planned and no divorce is imminent, my husband is well aware)  and it has all been grand.

I watch people post at odd hours, all sorts of odd things - like putting magnets in cows, and I am fascinated.  I have learned, thanks to my retired priest, about Snopes.com (which I needed so badly, and has made me, thankfully, more of a skeptic) - my friends are grateful as well.

I get an idea of how people spend their lives, and have been given a window into their free time. Among my friends are antique aficionados, skiers, sailors, hikers, gardeners, fisher-people, musicians, thespians, butchers, bakers and candlestick makers....it is astonishing.  Most of my friends are good photographers, some are very good.  Many shovel their own driveways.  Some have introduced me to new foods and weird cocktails.  I am delighted to see friends from hundreds, to thousand of miles away.

Facebook is voyeur's dream, especially a clean minded one.  Artists are seeing people, we look.  Nice people look away, we don't.  Artists look and remember, it is our job.  Facebook is a fascinating set of artistically chosen peeps into lives; people write their autobiographies by what they choose to post.

I am also fascinated by friends I run into who call me out on my own postings (which are many) but who never post anything.  I realize there is an algorithm to decide what I see on my feed, (I am skipping over the language we have all acquired) but if I go to their page, they have not posted anything, they are just trolling; silently.  Who knew there were so many incognito voyeurs?

I am out in the open.  I love it, just like TV; entertainment. I know so many producers!

Facebook though, also kept me from being isolated when I was ill. Through it I connected with an acquaintance, who shared some of my experiences and really helped me.  When she became ill, I hope I helped her a bit too; that's been a wonderful part of "social networking."

If you are posting, I am watching.