Facebook – Keep Your Brain on Alert

I joined Facebook to play Scrabble.  I joined a number of years ago when there was a better game without pop-ups as there is today.

I used a false name and image.   I played Scrabble.

As every one I know seems to have a Facebook page I gave them my false name.

Beyond  people I have coffee with, I made no friends.

However, those I played Scrabble with wound up being tossed into my ‘friend’ bag, so I’d see what they posted, what their friends answered.   I don’t know these people, I should not be part of their private conversations.

Ads began popping up on my page. Ads masquerading as humans.   If I mentioned ‘all inclusive hotel’ in a post, screen after screen of ads about hotels.   I had to learn how to use the block key.

My friends might join groups.  I had to block images and discussions from these groups.

Somehow being a friend of K meant I was incorporated into his  fantasy world.

Many of my friends would post photos of themselves, their children, their cars, their dogs, everything, from a funeral to a day at the beach.

I could see everything they posted as could everyone else.

I had friends who moved away and would tell us; (I say ‘us’ because I’m talking about people that  belonged to one of my circles of friends so that I know the friends of my friends who are or have become my friends) that they were ‘too busy to write’.

My friend is too busy to write, yet every day can load crap on Facebook.  Images of themselves, links to other sites,  stupid pictures, jokes… crap.

People I don’t know but are friends of friends have posted nude and semi-nude images which appear on my page and I have to block.

One of my friends retired and all day, every day, he has ten or so items posted about nothing I care to read.

I get videos of Usain Bolt and his girlfriend, (who is now pregnant) as well as maps someone who lives in Germany, whom I have never met but was a Scrabble opponent,  sent to one of her friends to tell her where to meet.

Are you beginning to see how dangerous Facebook can be?

There is no privacy, one isn’t posting that photo just so me and the circle can see it, everyone can see it.

One isn’t writing an email one is virtually writing graffiti on a building in the main square.

People have vented about their bosses on Facebook, and been fired.  People have posted photos of themselves, which have gone viral.

People have made themselves victims of crimes because they said too much;

“We’ll be flying out to Orlando on Thursday…”   meaning their house with everything in it will be unoccupied.

Where is the house?  Pop their name into one of the many search sites, you’ll find the exact address, maybe even a map as to how to get there.

Just as this post on this site is available to anyone who visits this site, so too everything you post on Facebook.