Week 3: Social Notworking

To break the monotony of an otherwise boring blog, I've decided to add some slightly opinionated blogposts. Since the lecture on social networking, I began to think about my social networking habits.

I am quite the fan of social networking. As mentioned in my maiden post, the first thing I do in the morning is to check Instagram and Twitter for updates of signs of life. I like looking at pictures on Instagram because I follow many of my favorite celebrities' accounts, and nothing is sweeter than waking up to a picture taken by Daniel Henney himself a few minutes ago.

If you see me staring at Instagram on my phone with an unnaturally dazed expression from time to time, here's why

Twitter is also tied with Instagram as another of my favorite social networking accounts. I get to read quick updates from news sites, more celebrities and popular bloggers such as Mr Brown. Twitter and Instagram are the two sites I visit the most. Besides that, I use many other social networking sites that provide other forms of entertainment, such as Tumblr and Pinterest for fashion forward pictures.

But I guess there's a giant black hole here in my list of social networking sites. Yup- where is Facebook?

I'm no longer as active as I used to be on Facebook. Sure, I do look at it now and then out of habit, but I only update my account perhaps once every five days or more.

My top five reasons why I rarely use Facebook:

1) Why oh why did I let annoying people onboard

What do you do when family friends ask you "why you didn't accept my friend request"? You don't say, "Because I don't want aunties and uncles or seven-year-old cousins clogging up my news feed with stupid stuff!" You smile sweetly and say, "Oh, sorry, I forgot to check my account." Then you check your account in front of them and press the Accept Friend Request button while choking back tears and bile. 

2)  I don't want fight your dumb Mafia Wars

I'd rather register for Justin Bieber's official fanclub than your lousy mafia. 

3) Yes, looking at pictures of the fungal infection on your feet or twelve thousand photos of your baby delights me

Sometimes people go overboard with their self-censorship (or lack thereof). They think that Facebook is their diary. From constant, nagging updates that flood your news feed to TMI pictures, I've seen it all. I've seen too much, actually. It gets worse when you're starting to have friends that are of parenting age. You will now log in to read detailed descriptions of their spawn's first solid food meal, first defecation, first breastfeeding moment... You get my point.

4)  Vaguebooking: an intentionally vague Facebook status that prompts friends to ask what's going on, or is possibly a cry for help. (Source)

Examples of attention seeking statuses: "Wondering if it's all worth it." "It hurts... I will never be the same again." "Yeah that just happened." Too many people on my news feed have done that... And I hate ambiguity.

5)  I migrated to Twitter to avoid the people on Facebook

One of the things I love about Twitter is that someone can follow you on Twitter and read your tweets if they like, but it is not compulsory to follow back. Facebook offers no such option. If you accept that friend request from that auntie who wouldn't stop asking you why your bum is fat during that Chinese New Year gathering, you're going to have to deal with her broadcasting said opinions across your News Feed.

To each her own- we can decide which social networking site works best for us. As of now, I'm jumping on the Twitter and Instagram bandwagon because it's simpler, less cluttered and I'm not pressured to befriend or follow anyone against my will. Furthermore, the army of aunties and uncles lurking around my Facebook have yet to figure out how to work Twitter and Instagram.