Social Networking

Have you ever spotted a person that you know and pretended like you didn't see them just because you didn't want to talk to them? Well, I have. Pretty low, I know. But the worst part is, usually I am friends with whoever that person may be on Facebook. Really low. I did this very thing on Monday. I was at the mall picking up a few things at GNC. I was doing a pretty good job of minding my own business, when I turned around and saw a girl that I know from college. I am not sure if she saw me, but I saw her and immediately turned my head to fake that I didn't see anyone. The thing that made it really awkward was that she was in the middle of inquiring about a supplement that targets the female reproductive system. Awkward.

I made my escape shortly after that and as I was speed walking through the mall, I was totally convicted. Why? Well, I am ashamed to say that I have shamelessly facebook stalked that particular girl MANY times. I know that she has recently been divorced and that she is in a graduate program and NMSU. I even know that she has a dog named Speedy. With all of that information, I couldn't even acknowledge her in the middle of GNC. What have I come to? I may not read celebrity gossip magazines (very often), but I religiously check Facebook for ANYBODY'S status update!

Social Networking sites didn't even exist when I was in High School. There really wasn't any way to "keep in touch" with the kids that I went to kindergarten with. You just kind of lived your life and stayed in touch with the people that really meant something to you, such as friends and family. But now, I can be "friends" with someone I took a class with my freshmen year of college. I am not sure how I feel about that. Honestly, the only reason I become friends with some people is because I want be nosy. I am not willing to actually talked to them in a public setting, I just want to look at their pictures and read their status.

In light of my ever increasing shallowness or ever decreasing depth, I have decided to go through my friend list on Facebook and "de-friend" people if I wouldn't talk to them if I ran into them at the mall. This is no small feat! Facebook has made it impossible to simply "de-friend" someone! Plus I have to deal with the momentary guilt I feel when I press the "remove from friends" button. I honestly feel pretty bad about it. Like my "de-friending" is going to affect the person being "de-friended". Then I think about how I would feel if I got "de-friended". Oh, it's terrible! What a moral dilemma!! But, I must be strong and realize that just because someone asks me to be their friend on Facebook, doesn't mean that they really want to be my friend...it probably just means that they want know if I am still happily married or if I am pregnant yet. Inquiring minds want to know, I should know, because I am one. Aye, aye, aye.