Who Are Those People I Used To Know

I do not do Facebook. I do not use Twitter. I do not even publicize my blog in the many, quite convenient ways, that I could. Why? First off the writing on this blog is rarely that good, and even less rarely profound. This is simply a diary for me that happens to be on this platform for convenience. If people find it so be it.

I think Facebook has much more bad than good. Yes it is neat to see pictures of people you knew far and away I suppose but if we really were interested in those people we would be involved in their lives now. I just do not think it is a good thing to be so voyeristic. When one considers the time that is wasted looking at other people's accounts, stalking as the kids call it, the productivity issues Facebook creates are large. I will look at my son's histories and it is just a river of time that is wasted. They are rarely updating their own status. Instead they are just looking at other people's pictures and posts. It is more than slightly narcissistic to think that others care what you think about each and every subject including the tacos you are currently eating. It is even worse that people take their time to know what you think of those tacos.

So it is established that I dislike these new platforms. That said the other day my wife stayed on her Facebook account, she is a big beleiver in Facebook, and I was looking around for the accounts of people I went to high school with, college with, and even worked with in the past. For some of these people that I have not seen in the last twenty or more years seeing them is like something out of a movie, where the actors age a lifetime in a span of a ninety minute film. I see a great preponderance of bald men. These days many men are bald by choice. Which I guess adds to the bald population. Girls I knew in school, some have aged incredibly, some still look like the young women I knew. Some guys make me look young, some fellows make me feel like I have aged poorly. I suppose it is the same for all of us.

Perhaps the biggest shock in these searches is in looking at the families of people you knew long ago in times before they had families. They look like their parents, they look like your parents, they look like grownups. Then when you look at the children. I saw a 13 year old boy that was the mirror image of my best friend growing up. When you see these pictures it is amazing. Like little clones. Your former friends themselves may not even know how much their children mirror them. You having seen them for the first time perhaps know it better than they do.

So, that part of Facebook, is kind of interesting. Still we have to ask ourselves is it worth it. Is seeing pictures of people who do not have any part in our lives any longer important enough to allow our whole lives to be dissected through the filters of Mark Zuckerburg.

My vote is no. I still wonder where all the bald men came from though.