I know about monkeys.
My (ex) sister in law is a primatologist
and my brother is one.
A monkey, not a primatologist.
They were a perfect match for about ten years,
but his thinking parts
were way smaller than hers,
were way smaller than hers,
(PhD vs cab driver),
and she high heeled it right about the time
the money ran out.
they hang out in social groups,
make bonds and pick each others fleas.
Pretty much like facebook.
Only I just don't get Facebook.
Sure I had an account, then a page,
then linked it to etsy
then had to have
then I "liked" a whole lot of stuff.
Then a whole lot of people I didn't know "liked" me.
And it pretty much felt hollow.
Am I a late adopter
or is all this a pile of crap?
or is all this a pile of crap?
What currency does a "like" have anyway?
Does it equate to anything in real life?
Do I want to understand Facebook?
It just feels empty.
In my heart.
A while ago, a Scottish anthropologist
and monkey lover called Robin Dunbar
figured out that social groups are sized
according to the size of the brain
of the mammal doing the socializing.
While that certainly explains
my brothers lack of friends,
it also explains how humans can really only deal
with around 150 contacts before everything gets fuzzy.
And that really, only a handful are the closer-than- close.
The ones you confide in.
Like the time I ordered the "corkage" on the menu
because it was the cheapest.
I was poor and young and desperately unsophisticated.
Those are the things only the closer-than-close know.
It also saps your brain.
While I remain mystified by Facebook,
totally blow my skirt up.
No one is selling anything,
it just pure, clickable eye candy.
At a time when my neocortex
was Capuchin monkey sized,
index finger extended like ET,
I was all: see pretty picture,
click pretty picture,
like pretty picture.
I love Tumblr for sheer idea and image exchange
from creative wonderful people
who continually blow my tiny mind.
I love Pinterest for the organization board
so I get to keep my inspirations on line
instead of in some book somewhere.
(via pink-gypsy-cats)
So troupe of baboons, shrewdness of apes
and barrel of monkeys;
my finger hovers over the delete account
button on FB.
Will anyone really care?
Will anyone really care?
Pin It
Grrl, I so needed this post. You are very funny. Funny enough to lift the blue right out of my heart. - TICK
ReplyDeleteCan I hover my finger over the delete button for my FB account too?
ReplyDeleteI too am at a loss with it. Get ZERO from it and feel like it's some sort of obligation that I just resent ALL the time.
Facebook....... great servant, bad master.
ReplyDeleteGreat for catching up with family and friends O/S, but for anyone you don't know D E L E T E.
Enough time spent surfing the net to let Facebook suck you in as well.
Claire :}
at the risk of being another delete hoveration- *LIKE* thumbs up on this post from me!!!
ReplyDeletewhat's facebook?.....love the apron!
ReplyDeleteyeah go and delete and after your recommedation i'm going to check out pinterest and tumblr x
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I am excited about my new little friend from your shop joining my other creatures and dolls in my therapy room. Hugs Karen
ReplyDeletei deleted my facebook a year ago - even i didn't notice
ReplyDeleteI only use FB to keep in touch with people I know, I don't "Like" anything, so for me it is a simple and easy way to keep track of friends. It isn't easy to delete FB, I have heard they continually email you and try to lure you back. Annoying. But love Pinterest, I can lose days and weeks looking at pretty pictures.........
ReplyDeleteJust don't delete your blog. It is wonderful and I am always happy when I see a new post. Facebook Schmacebook. We'll all survive just fine without it.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you re the Facebook thing. My finger has hovered and re-hovered and I'm still undecided. As for Tumblr....I am in love with Tumblr too!
ReplyDeleteI hit the delete on Facebook last year. So glad I did. The whole thing just seemed wrong.
ReplyDeleteLove the apron.
I recently deactivated my Facebook account--I never really "got" it either--kept trying to make it a tool for meaningful connection when it is meant for a more superficial connection. I also deleted my tumblr--even though I LOVED looking at all the eye candy--because it was too easy to spend too much time there, and again, it seemed the connections there were superficial.
ReplyDeletePerhaps I am imagining it, but blogging seems to be more of a community.
Such an interesting post and so true! I don't do Facebook- I'd rather not waste time saying banal things to people I don't really know! Feels a bit too much like baring your soul to the world!
ReplyDeleteso well put.. in total agreement about the facebook thing! loved this post. i still have a sad feeling when i see the photo of the hound at the top...the best companion one can ever have...so sorry for your loss.
ReplyDeleteI use it for playing Scrabble with my daughter, nothing else.
ReplyDeleteNot too keen on Facebook and dropped out of Twitter after I sent out weight loss ads to people ---except I didn't!
ReplyDeletedon't care how much people weight --entirely their own business
so a bit embarrassed
sending lots of love
oxoxo
I have had a facebook account for years -- but only started looking at it about a year ago. I have about 50? friends -- only people who i "know" in person or have an online relationship with. I guess that I like to hear what they are up to. I just got a twitter account a few weeks ago. I don't really "get" twitter. Who has time to read all of those tweets? I was at a social media conference and I was the only one without twitter. But I still don't really know why I need it. Even after all of the seminars :)
ReplyDeleteI LOVE pinterest. Really -- I could spend every minute of my day looking and pinning. What a great way to organize my favourite things!
*sigh*...I just love you missus and I'm glad i'm not the only one not "feeling it" fb wise...brilliant post chock full of wit, wisdom and oooo pretties...as ever! xx
ReplyDeleteI'm feeling you!
ReplyDeleteI keep hoping someone will post a rave comment that totally tells me WHY I need Facebook...
anyone?
anyone?
I rather like Facebook - but I try to use it responsibly, which means I try to stay very conscious of what I'm doing there and how long I am on the site. It's a terrible way to communicate big, important ideas, a good way to publicize events, see what farflung friends are up to.
ReplyDelete(And I couldn't resist, I went and "liked" your page.)
When my friend over who lives over the hill from me started telling the world she just put the rubbish out - I ran for the hills, the OTHER hills and deleted from FB. not only do I not miss it but I feel very grown up and free of all the banality there.
ReplyDeleteDo it girl . Do it.
I've got the same questions about FB. I love my blog but not so sure about FB anymore. It was great while my offspring were travelling and I could keep up with their travels. But now? delete or not?
ReplyDeleteIt's no biggy. You can delete... and recreate if you feel a loss. It's not like deleting a blog. Or just cool off for a while... it can be a useful tool.
ReplyDeleteHa, ha. I know lots of monkeys. I am a monkey. I am not on facebook but I am going to look at tumblr...nice blog.
ReplyDeleteFacebook = waste book, stalk book, lazy book.
ReplyDeleteThats my 2 cents, haven't had it for years, must admit though, I do miss out on invites to things as the inviters only use face book to send communications - freaking lazy I say. Oh sorry, forgot you don't have face book...sigh...
Lets bring back snail mail invites en-masse, its so nice to get something in the letter box other than a bill!
hahahaaaaaa....
ReplyDeleteU R good!
i use FB as a placeholder
bookmark to find places i LIKE to visit.
{{ Life is all a Game anyway
so pick UR bits & pieces,
i say
if you are trying to Market your Product
i say do what works...
me?
i spend TONS of time
with elder family members
waiting
waiting
at The Doctors Office.
and FB & other such are helpful
for me to keep in touch
via iPhone with family
& blogging friends...
which are who i Friend anyway}}
clicking a FB "like"
can be as if one were sending a quick--->
~~i am here with you~~
message...
coming from my sister,
this is good sometimes...
i don't necessarily WANT a stranger
to B there waiting for me...
if you get my drift
{{ not all shoes fit all people
ReplyDeletebut that doesn't mean
The Shoes are A Waste of Time
or
Are Silly...
it just means
these particular shoes R not 4 U...
personally
i don't keep shoes i don't wear
in my closet...
but sometimes
i like knowing
Some Shoes are in there
just
in
case...}}
I sometimes feel like I'm the only person in the world who isn't on Faceache, I just don't see the point of it and I certainly don't feel like I'm missing out. I don't get Twitter either and sometimes I'm not sure I even get blogging!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to say something positive about the dreaded FB. For someone that is shocking at updating her address book it's a great way to not lose contact with friends that are moving around and spread about the planet. My rule is keep friends to a minimum, only people you know well and trust, and keep your security settings up to date( FB does like to change what they are doing and not tell anyone until they've done it). One of your friends will surely notice if you disappear, especially if like me they keep it small and manageable.
ReplyDeletePinterest is great. No more hoarding bits of paper, and a great source of inspiration.
xx
Now I need to think about this. Relentless selling and self-promotion are never attractive and jammed all in one place, even less so. As with most things, balance is the goal, seldom easy to achieve. xo
ReplyDeleteLast month I was at a big dance party in a country club with 80-120 people hadn't seen in 4 or 6 or 8 years some longer. We were all so busy dancing, we hardly got "caught up"; but standing in the bar line a woman started telling a few of us who had been out of town, all these details about dozens of peoples' lives. It rolled off her tongue so fast, I knew she wasn't that close to all of them she spoke of and suddenly asked, "How do you know all this." It was intimate stuff--
ReplyDelete"Facebook"
We just laughed.
But I now know things about people who never had time to say it--and what they did say in person was more loving, intimate, than these "over facts" about their lives careers successes and kids and etc.
interesting. Anyway. I "like" your writing style.
Facebook will never own my soul. Pinterest and tumblr however, well that is a different story. I don't have a Pinterest account though because you need either a FB or Twitter account to join, which kind of really sucks! Why Pinterest WHY?
ReplyDeleteface book is one of those things i use to keep tabs on
ReplyDeletethe folks who don't bother to phone, write or answer emails.
sadly its how i found out the brother in law was close to death
and got my husband and siblings to be there in time for the rebirth.
its how i know how his widow is doing-
other sad news came that way too.
I find on fb folk i'm ignored or talked over.
so its a waste for me.
my sister loves it she has all her "right people" on it
and they text through it all the time.
i don't fit that category so i didn't even try to fiend her.
but if i was running and event or company
its priceless for communicating
but for real communication i really do rely on LJ or emails
i l think of pininterst as a visual bookmark
i don' t just hit repin I try to go back to the source
where the original person is writing about their art or project.
I do copy ingredients and recipes and put it on the pin
just in case the page goes down so the recipe is preserved.
most of the time when i hit a picture from tumbler
i can't find the source so unless it seems important to preserve it,
i won't repin the pin .. o i said that already.
I wish there was a place at pinterst to get to now more about the person pinning- there's little room for communication some times,
but you can in tuit some times- they're getting married or are expecting .. but still it has a hole... like where can i find that person off the boards?
My vote goes to the old fashioned snail mail! Its a delightful thing to get a letter from a friend that you can sit down and read while you drink yout tea ( or whatever. )Its fun to read newspaper clippings from their local bugle! and maybe see a photo of a new baby or a prized geranium! facebook just tells a lot of strangers what you are up to! Delete!
ReplyDeleteFB and I have grown apart. I want more privacy and solitude, FB keeps offering more noise & less privacy. A few months back I decided to 'unfriend' a few folks, those who in my early FB days naivety I 'friended' but who are neither real friends nor people I find interesting enough to warrant voyeurism on my part. After 1/2 an hour of "unfriending" I realised that I would need to spend/waste quite a long time sorting this out, so I just grasped the thistle and "opted-out" of FB. It infuriated me at the time that there was no real 'delete' option, only an option to temporarily suspend your account.
ReplyDeleteI haven't regretted it. My poor husband (who is still on FB) has had to deal with the fallout though. He has had messages from my 'friends' asking whether I'm okay as I've disappeared from Facebook. It seems that defectors are considered a little strange.
Hound went? I've been away a long time I know, but this is giving me a heart attack :( I better go read some old posts now. Hugs x
ReplyDeleteHow late am I? I am in agreement. I left FB a long time ago. It was sad in that a few people I really enjoyed stopped communicating with me, because that is where they socialize and that's it. But it's okay. FB is too much for me. Twitter is okay, but I rarely go there. Too much really is hollow and eats up the time of life like nobody's business. Good things can happen, but the balance sheet is never to my advantage. So, I just piddle around with things I like that don't steal too much time and don't feel fake like FB. It's so much noise. so, I hear ya.
ReplyDeleteDon't leave here, though. That would piss me off.
I just had a sneaky peek on Pinterest and found you, and I love your crochet board. Loads of inspiration, thank you. I can't wait til all the packing and moving is over and I can find my hooks and wool again.
ReplyDeleteMmmm FB keeps me in touch with non bloggers in far away places! Interestingly mega creatives seem to be disenchanted with FB? Thankfully we're all different, still trying to work out Pinterest or Tumblr. Love your brilliant thinking woman's post as always Darling. xo
ReplyDeletehey grrrl- here is a you tube just for you!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a69RpEBJFAY&feature=youtu.be
Personally, I've never understood the dislike of FB. I see it as...well, what it is. A space to ramble on about whatever. I can spout off whatever nonsense is on my mind, people can respond....or NOT respond, whichever is their druther. I enjoy that aspect of it in a way. It's like shooting the shit with friends *without* it having to be deep or meaningful (though it does delve into those realms at times, obviously)
ReplyDeleteTumblr is exactly how you describe it. Eye candy, pure and simple.
Blogger and it's ilk I've been having a harder time with of late, because that's where my mental state is. I'm not in deep-sharing mode at the moment, and the "pressure" to be in that space keeps me from posting/interacting. I don't always have anything of depth to share, no clever words, no new art. Especially these days. That's in no way a slam on those who DO have those things, mind.
So...all that said, I kinda wish you would keep your FB account (and actually use it to interact!)
I too am a pinterest addict, it suits my hoarding instinct perfectly. Tumblr slightly annoys me because so many people's work seems to go uncredited, and I like to know who created the whatever it is.
ReplyDeleteFacebook I use to keep in touch with distant relatives, it's a bit like a town square, for me, in which many of my friends and rellies gather to chew the fat. I can pop along and say hello, or not.
Now I'm off to Pinterest to seek you out...
well hello Grrl.... nice to be back for this kind of chat. You remind me why I so like blogging (despite the last couple of months getting pretty much in the way of my capacity to blog and visit other bloggers!)
ReplyDeletePopping in here I feel at home again.
I'm cosy in bed...there's a nice breeze around, insects are all doing their thing outside, the fly-screen's been fixed so they are out there and I'm in here... all's well enough with the world.
Your header is terrific... your run of thoughts is unique and totally 'grrl' and life seems doable after reading what you say... you do nail things sio often.... s I have said before. Its a treat popping over...i always feel Ive had that cup of tea and iced vovo the makes life better.
Facebook... I get a pay before my travels thinking that would be ideal for communications... but...na! Didn't really get it... things kept happening and couldn't figure it out.
Tumblr is a kind of yoga for me... I feel taken to other spaces... i get all ponderous... but in a good way. It enlarges my viewing but without the noise!
So long for now... have a great week D!
S x
Hi Grrl...I did not know about Pinterest...I am going to check it out...as for FB, I have never joined and sometimes I feel kind of "out of the loop", but I really don't think I am missing anything. Sometimes I check out my husband's FB and I see all these comments from all these people he doesn't even know and I don't see what the point is. I love Tumblr....so many images, so little time!
ReplyDeleteI recently discovered pinterest and have been happily pinning away finding wonderful images.. same at tumblr.. and Flickr too.. never did do much at Facebook..not sure why until I read your post.
ReplyDeletei love the way you write
ReplyDelete..
wish i have that easiness in writing
..
loved your post
i never even had a fb account
it always sounded unnecessary to me
..
thanks for stopping by my blog
and.. to answer your question
i'm a capricorn :)
Love reading your posts, so creative and wise. I don't understand FB either, I just don't get it. I had my FB account deleted for years until I needed my son one day in a hurry and well I got to hime that way instead of his phone which he wasn't answering for some reason. I also like to know what my children are up to.... he he he..... FB and the who put the rubbish out is total dribble and I am with you still hovering over the delete FB button.
ReplyDeleteThis all comes from the supply, delivery gal in Melbourne whom has been shunned from the monkeys of the society of BS, LOL. Trust me it is much better this way, away from the BS Monkeys. LOL
I just don't get facebook either. I don't have an account, and will never have one. It's just not anybodys business what I ate at tea time!
ReplyDeleteJacqueline