Crippled By Facebook
by Miki SaxonI don’t understand the current obsession with other people’s lives, in fact, I find it very weird.
Whether it is a public figure or not, the desire (need?) to know every little detail, what they are doing every minute of their lives, the products they use, their ups and downs to be almost obsessional.
This kind of interest used to be reserved for the intimacy of real friendship or close family relations—and even then there were boundaries—but now anyone is fair game.
Apparently I’m not as out of it as I thought; many people are shutting down their Facebook pages for a variety of reasons, not the least of which are the effects they notice on their own MAP (mindset, attitude, philosophy™).
Others are leaving because they don’t like the commercialization, which I find amusing. Any mass human congregating, past, present or future, will attract those who want to sell their product. Why anyone would think it would be different because the location is in the cyber-world is beyond me.
However, if you are going to indulge, I suggest that you focus on what you are doing when you do it, because the repercussions of not doing so will follow you all your life and beyond. That’s serious when you consider that 45% of employers search social media when hiring, 65% didn’t extend an offer because of what they found and that number will continue to grow.
Other than malicious intent, two things happen on social media.
- Not thinking, which causes people to post stuff to venues in which it doesn’t belong and giving access to “friends”—who may not be next week.
- Not focusing, which leads to pilot error though the ease and simplicity of clicking the wrong button.
Consider this post, sent to me by a friend, as a great example of the dangers of multitasking while updating Facebook.
Can you imagine the reaction of hiring managers, potential mates or future kids? Even if it had been posted privately there is nothing to stop a “friend” who is angry from reposting it.
Once it’s out there it’s out there forever—definitely the wrong kind of immortality.
I’ve said many times, both here and at MAPping Company Success that social media never dies and people need to think about that.
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Image credit: Facebook
