There's this thing going around Facebook right now where people are sharing "little known" facts about themselves according to the number that a friend gave them. At first it started with itty-bitty numbers, but now it's outrageous...one person came up with 24 "little known facts" about herself and wanted to share more...more....MORE! There's almost a desperation to reveal all these little things about themselves to the world, to appear interesting and likable. And the Facebook peoples are eating it up! More! MORE!
I was thinking about this when I ran this morning...
Couple things, here...
I know people love to tell about themselves. And I love to hear their stories! But it feels rather cheap to me to put it on the billboard of social media. Not only that, but then it's triple-double shared via Google +, Twitter, and other formats I'm completely ignorant of. (And gratefully so...) Is it that important that absolutely everyone you've ever come in contact with knows you're scared of spiders? (Little known fact #1 on most lists that I've seen.)
Perhaps it's silly, but I like a little mystery in relationships. I like discovering things in people without them telling me everything up front. It's fun when something comes up and there's a sort of mutual confession...
"Honestly, I'd rather have onion rings than dessert any day..."
"You WOULD?!? I love onion rings, but only if they're done right!"
And so forth.
Sometimes those are the places I figure out little known facts about myself, too.
I don't want to make anyone feel badly about revealing their stuff on Facebook, about playing the game with everyone else. I guess I'm just thinking out loud on my blog, explaining why I won't be joining in. After all, Crazy Mary posts give you w-a-y more information than you need all the time! (I don't know why my blog feels more private, like a mutual journal, but it does...)
4 comments:
I have purposefully avoided "liking" one of these posts, even if I do enjoy reading SOME of them, just because I don't want to participate!
I think this is an interesting opinion on this recent social media phenomenon. On a personal blog, which is itself accessible and re-postable to twitter, google search, facebook, etc, filled with personal, little known facts about you :), I, too, have held back "liking" the posts even though some are really very clever and interesting. I just do not want to have to be witty about myself. But, I suggest you don't see it as a desperation to share, etc. See it as individuals who do not have the initiative, or time, to do a personal blog finally being able to share the things that make them tick, the things they might share throughout the year on a personal blog.
I've been tempted, but honestly, I have a hard time coming up with really anything profound about myself that's a "little known fact". My friends and family know most of the significant things that have happened, good and bad, and also know about those parts of my personality.... and hopefully love me anyway.
I struggled with whether to even post about this, and probably shouldn't have because I fear I hurt feelings by doing so. And perhaps the word "desperate" was inappropriate. I get this uneasy feeling of "if I don't share all these little details, I might drift through life unnoticed and forgettably boring". A blog IS accessible to everyone...more people than I realize, most of the time...and plenty is revealed here. What a gracious way to look at it, Sara! (Since I wrote this post, I've tried to put some space between me, Twitter and FB, hoping that will help my bad attitude...)
And like Traci, I don't think I could come up with a list of "little known facts"! Truth be told, we'd probably all learn more if my acquaintances listed "little known facts"; growing up and then living in Garfield County is sure to breed some interesting "facts" that I know little about myself! :)
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