I will admit that I am a converted fan of Facebook. When people first started trying to be my friend, I just ignored it (note: this is not how I approach my social life in reality). I couldn't see the point. Now, I have oodles of Facebook friends (we get around) and I check it more than once on most days. I like it because it's fun to reconnect with people I haven't seen in literally decades (wow that makes me sound old) and because I have many good friends who live around the world, and seeing their updates makes me feel like I got to talk to them a little today. Even though I didn't really.
I even like some of the applications - I use the books page to keep track of books I want to read, and once in awhile I sharpen my geography skills by playing the travel quiz. I like pieces of flair too. I don't usually say no to a piece of flair.
But here's what I will say no to - becoming a fan of something. One day in a moment of weakness and probably homesickness, I became a fan of lefse. Later I realized it really wasn't important to me to have people know that I like lefse (I'm sure half of the people reading this are thinking, "What's lefse?"). So I un-fanned myself. De-fanned?
Still, every day it seems I am presented with the option of becoming a fan of something - God, Jesus, the Bible, sleep, rainbows, puppies, Air Supply, the smell of gasoline, you name it. Here's the thing - I am not opposed to any of those things. All good. Great, in fact. I love God. And Jesus. But I just don't feel compelled to publicly labely myself a fan. This is nothing against those of you who are fans of something on Facebook. More power to ya, especially if you're a fan of Petra (notice how I slipped that 80's Christian rock band reference in there).
Unfortunately, it leaves me with that sense of guilt, like how I feel when I don't forward emails that admittedly "touched my heart." It's like I'm some kind of cold hearted grinch. Hitting the ignore button when people invite me to be a fan of "hugs" feels like slamming the door in the face of Girl Scouts selling cookies. Am I the only one who feels this way?
Winding Down
12 years ago
3 comments:
I've listed myself as a fan of a few bands but i haven't become a facebook fan of God/Jesus. It seems to cheapen faith when it becomes just another thing on your facebook page next to some random pop band and your favorite food.
I'm very selective about what I'm a fan of, and I'm glad you're not a super fan...I think I'm a fan of krispy kreme in singapore, sarah palin, and tea parties. Obviously I feel strongly politically and about donuts. i'm glad you like facebook, b/c i like connecting with you through it...oh and i miss you tons! glad china was such a good trip! am praying for your move to go smoothly, i know there's a ton that goes into that, love ya!
I didn't know you were on FB. I'll have to send you a friend request and hope you don't ignore it. ;-) I ignore almost all my requests (except for 2 applications that I do sometimes). I don't really feel bad about ignoring stuff b/c I don't think the people who send the requests are really keeping track. I think I might be a fan of a few things but I don't really pay much attention, to be honest.
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