In what seems to be a new overnight sensation, the older generations of my family have now acquired Facebook accounts. I say an overnight sensation because its like the Facebook account has qualities similar to an economic stimulus rebate check, everybody could get one so everybody wanted one.
Initially I took this on with amusement, my aunt learning the ways of The Book. And we all remember how it started so long ago, and if not let me tell. When I got Facebook it was a few years back when this was some obscure social networking site that only a few random college campuses had aquired access to. I first heard about the book from my friend Mike, at UMASS, at the time and was a bit peeved when I tried to get my own account and discovered that those Pearly Gates were not opening...ACCESS DENIED.
I would check back everyonce in a while, it seemed like slowly word spread until finally one day on campus I heard, "Yea we gotFacebook". WHAT???!!! I was never so excited in my life, at this point I realize I led a sheltered life and got my kicks how I could. So as a campus we each hopped online and became part of this mass culture of like minded college individuals. The thing that I loved about the book was that you knew whoever else was on it had to be a college student with an active college email (.edu) account. To me that created a sense of exclusivity, security, we were all the same people here for the same things. Like going to the Campus Center and meeting new people, except this campus center was online.
And online we were, between classes, in the library, during dinner. This was before the days of Mobile Apps and text confirmations but we were as addicted as we could be. All the buzz about campus was Facebook, the Book, who did you add, checking it every ten minutes for any change, any new friend requests...it was madness. Racing to make the most friends, thrilled to find long lost school mates, finding out all the little details that we didn't know which we thought were important but probably weren't.... Facebook was a revolution. But with every revolution comes that change that ends it for all of us....Commercialization....Facebook changed from the secure little college networking site, to a cash cow MySpace rival. Can I blame them? Hell no, especially not now, you all know my answer to everything is "Hell, we are in a recession"
So fast forward to now, my aunt, my uncle, and cousin have all found their way onto the book. That initial amusement then turned into a fear. Fear of censuring myself and you all know what I mean. Editing your profile to be family friendly, taking down those pics from that one drunken night, leaving the word "Fuck" off of your status in reference to any sort of mood change i.e. (I fucking hate this shit...Last night I was fuuuucked up.... For fucks sake people...) you get what I mean. The Book, the one place that my students haven't found their way into, the thing I've kept as a web based representation of myself all these years has finally been found...GASP... What will I do???
But then I have to stop myself...really stop myself and realize a few things.
1. I am an adult, yes even as an adult there are things that my family just does not need to see or hear, but I am an adult none the less.
2. In the world of Facebook, I have all the street cred. I remember the first year I got the Book, and in my addiction to it said something to the effect of "I'm on facebook like it is a full time job, and a girl needs a little change." I have been here longer, this is my neighborhood. I can't stop sitting on the stoop because my family moved in, now that would just be wrong.
And most importantly ...
3. People, listen closely. STOP FAKING THE FUNK! You heard me. If you are an adult and you think about censuring yourself for longer that 45 whole seconds because you don't want your Auntie to see that dress you had on at the club, then you shouldn't have had it on. I mean hell, if you are gonna pay for it and put it on...Do it up! Take pictures, show people...shit!
If you think for a hot second about reducing the amount of times you say Fuck on the book because the family has come to town, I can tell you right now if your Auntie is being completely honest there are days when she is tempted to write "Fuck that shit" in her status too.
And lastly, if in the midst of a night full of tequila and Ketel One you happened to dance on a bar and didn't fall off. Or there is a picture with you in front of 5 drinks and they all happened to belong to you. Or you had on said Freakum Dress and, a drink in one hand, and was shakin it with your boo and there is a picture of that( : D ) do not take it down. Nope leave it there. And realize this is who you are, all the good, family oriented, stable job, buying a house parts of yourself, along with the crazy, drunken, sometimes hoodrich parts of yourself as well. Those same family members as calm as they may seem (cousin) or insane as they may seem (aunt) were all doing the exact same things at this moments in their lives and may relate to you more than you would have originally thought. We spend so much time pretending to be sweet, and cute, and innocent that we miss the chance to learn about those parts of ourselves that we never thought could have resided in those other people in our lives.
So in closing : )
Let the shit go. And for fucks sake just breathe a little.
**FireFLY**
Initially I took this on with amusement, my aunt learning the ways of The Book. And we all remember how it started so long ago, and if not let me tell. When I got Facebook it was a few years back when this was some obscure social networking site that only a few random college campuses had aquired access to. I first heard about the book from my friend Mike, at UMASS, at the time and was a bit peeved when I tried to get my own account and discovered that those Pearly Gates were not opening...ACCESS DENIED.
I would check back everyonce in a while, it seemed like slowly word spread until finally one day on campus I heard, "Yea we gotFacebook". WHAT???!!! I was never so excited in my life, at this point I realize I led a sheltered life and got my kicks how I could. So as a campus we each hopped online and became part of this mass culture of like minded college individuals. The thing that I loved about the book was that you knew whoever else was on it had to be a college student with an active college email (.edu) account. To me that created a sense of exclusivity, security, we were all the same people here for the same things. Like going to the Campus Center and meeting new people, except this campus center was online.
And online we were, between classes, in the library, during dinner. This was before the days of Mobile Apps and text confirmations but we were as addicted as we could be. All the buzz about campus was Facebook, the Book, who did you add, checking it every ten minutes for any change, any new friend requests...it was madness. Racing to make the most friends, thrilled to find long lost school mates, finding out all the little details that we didn't know which we thought were important but probably weren't.... Facebook was a revolution. But with every revolution comes that change that ends it for all of us....Commercialization....Facebook changed from the secure little college networking site, to a cash cow MySpace rival. Can I blame them? Hell no, especially not now, you all know my answer to everything is "Hell, we are in a recession"
So fast forward to now, my aunt, my uncle, and cousin have all found their way onto the book. That initial amusement then turned into a fear. Fear of censuring myself and you all know what I mean. Editing your profile to be family friendly, taking down those pics from that one drunken night, leaving the word "Fuck" off of your status in reference to any sort of mood change i.e. (I fucking hate this shit...Last night I was fuuuucked up.... For fucks sake people...) you get what I mean. The Book, the one place that my students haven't found their way into, the thing I've kept as a web based representation of myself all these years has finally been found...GASP... What will I do???
But then I have to stop myself...really stop myself and realize a few things.
1. I am an adult, yes even as an adult there are things that my family just does not need to see or hear, but I am an adult none the less.
2. In the world of Facebook, I have all the street cred. I remember the first year I got the Book, and in my addiction to it said something to the effect of "I'm on facebook like it is a full time job, and a girl needs a little change." I have been here longer, this is my neighborhood. I can't stop sitting on the stoop because my family moved in, now that would just be wrong.
And most importantly ...
3. People, listen closely. STOP FAKING THE FUNK! You heard me. If you are an adult and you think about censuring yourself for longer that 45 whole seconds because you don't want your Auntie to see that dress you had on at the club, then you shouldn't have had it on. I mean hell, if you are gonna pay for it and put it on...Do it up! Take pictures, show people...shit!
If you think for a hot second about reducing the amount of times you say Fuck on the book because the family has come to town, I can tell you right now if your Auntie is being completely honest there are days when she is tempted to write "Fuck that shit" in her status too.
And lastly, if in the midst of a night full of tequila and Ketel One you happened to dance on a bar and didn't fall off. Or there is a picture with you in front of 5 drinks and they all happened to belong to you. Or you had on said Freakum Dress and, a drink in one hand, and was shakin it with your boo and there is a picture of that( : D ) do not take it down. Nope leave it there. And realize this is who you are, all the good, family oriented, stable job, buying a house parts of yourself, along with the crazy, drunken, sometimes hoodrich parts of yourself as well. Those same family members as calm as they may seem (cousin) or insane as they may seem (aunt) were all doing the exact same things at this moments in their lives and may relate to you more than you would have originally thought. We spend so much time pretending to be sweet, and cute, and innocent that we miss the chance to learn about those parts of ourselves that we never thought could have resided in those other people in our lives.
So in closing : )
Let the shit go. And for fucks sake just breathe a little.
**FireFLY**
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