Our prefect Facebook lives

[Nibblenic]

"Family photos depict smiling faces... births, weddings, holidays, children's birthday parties. People take pictures of the happy moments in their lives. Someone looking through our photo album would conclude that we had led a joyous, leisurely existence free of tragedy. No one ever takes a photograph of something they want to forget" Quote from 1 hour photo


Do we portray a public perfect/happy less than accurate view of our lives. Via photos and status on formatts such as Facebook/Myspace/Bebo?

 

[Nibblenic]

I was thinking about the above quote today. Now im pretty against airing 'dirty laudry' in status's very publicly etc. I really dont think people need to know. All my status are about going out, doing nice things somtimes funny comments. If you look through my photos its all happy times and smiles. As I see many other proflies the same.

However in my life as with everyone elses we have hard times and currently going through a difficult situatuion which the people close to me know about however I keep it off facebook as its not really anyones business.

Do we all know really that we dont know peoples online persona and accept that they are are real only as a online facade or that people just keep private things private and joyful things public. However I have heard tell of people sharing very private tings publically.

 

[mrsraggle]

I'll post a status if I'm having a rubbish day, feeling unwell etc. But I'd never post if I'd had a row with my husband. It's no-one else's business and I find it quite distasteful when people do that.

With photos etc, they're always happy ones. Generally I wouldn't take a photo of a sad occasion!

I wouldn't assume anyone's life purely from FB because, like we've said, people generally only post about the good stuff.

 

[mrsraggle]

Grr, double post.

 

[Mrs Mayhem]

I'm not a serial status kinda gal on fb, but when I do update it, its usually about having had a good time doing something, looking forward to something or just something silly. If I feel ill or something I may write that too but as pp said, I'd never write about having had an argument or anything like that.
I have plenty of people on my fb who write every little thing that happens to them as a status and some of them are just too much information or things I think that the world does not need to know!

My photo's tend to be mainly of LO, nights out, special occasions etc.

 

[Laura2919]

I have been both! I used to post EVERYTHING and then I thought people surely must think that I have nothing better to do so I reined it in and now I post happier status's and sometimes I post random rubbish lol.
But now I dont air my dirty laundry in public

 

[SKATERBUN]

No I dont have a facebook for this reason, it all seems so false when I read about other people so I dont want to portray myself in this way. Other peoples comments also seem so false, they just comment or like for the sake of it, even if its about a chocolate biscuit.
If anyone does post anything depressing or obscure, then quite often it will get ignored, or you get the are you alright comments, its a way of attracting attention I suppose.
I think peple share too much about their personal lives these days. Its weird as if you were to meet some people face to face they wouldnt be half so open and honest

 

[angelandbump]

My pictures include happy memories and a locked album of happy/sad memories of my daughter Alyssa who passed away. I locked it as it is a way to share pictures with my family but also keep it private.

Some of the people on my FB need to go on jeremy kyle! i have to be VERY careful about what i write on it as people in my work have been sacked over comments like "oh i hate working for my company" or "working has shown me how many stupid people there are out there" I think its a way that employees spy.

When i see some status' were they are telling all their business then i just ignore them, some are funny but for me, i rarely update mine lol.

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

I was thinking about the above quote today. Now im pretty against airing 'dirty laudry' in status's very publicly etc. I really dont think people need to know. All my status are about going out, doing nice things somtimes funny comments. If you look through my photos its all happy times and smiles. As I see many other proflies the same.

However in my life as with everyone elses we have hard times and currently going through a difficult situatuion which the people close to me know about however I keep it off facebook as its not really anyones business.

Do we all know really that we dont know peoples online persona and accept that they are are real only as a online facade or that people just keep private things private and joyful things public. However I have heard tell of people sharing very private tings publically.

I agree with this

 

[indy and lara]

I don't have random friends on FB that I don't really know. I would not air things like DH and I fighting- why would you? But other things yes, I do mention. I talk about Bobo at significant dates and other things which are not always happy. I would never share my photos of him there as they are very precious and only seen by a few very close people. Those would probably be our 'saddest' photos. I cannot imagine though why you would have lots of sad photos anyway?

 

[SKATERBUN]

^ This is what I dont get, why do people humilate themslelves in front of a whole load of people when they put on status updates about OH/DH, or splitting up or fighting, be it close family who will envetiably interfere, old school chums who may have a gloat or a laugh, random people that have just been added drunkenly or just to boost friends list who will just lurk and not comment, and some of your closest friends who maybe feel a bit hurt that they were not told personally and feel the need to comment publically as they want to help.

 

[Gbobs]

I'm baffled sometimes by what people write on Facebook. I rarely post a status unless it's something general I'm willing to share or something that is lighthearted/funny etc.

I have people on my friends list who post about 10 times a day about every mundane part of their life......yawn! One girl seems to live her life through it regularly having conversations with her mum and sister and some friends of ours who are a couple and live together are constantly writing soppy messages on each other's wall like "have a good day at work princess" etc. Seriously WTF, could you not say that as you were leaving the house?!

I think one of the worse is a guy I know from years back who has his own small business - everything he seems to write is doom and gloom about people who have screwed him about or how he's losing business etc. Before this he used to constantly moan about not having a girlfriend and how bad his life was because of it. He is obviously looking for sympathy all "woe is me, I have such an awful life, please feel sorry for me" I NEVER comment on anything like these examples!

I do think social networking and Facebook are brilliant communication tools when used in the right way but some people just seem to want to life their life through them which for me is too much.

 

[Lightworker]

When I want to log on to FB I normally say "lets see whats on Fakebook today" only because people will always paint the picture they want you to see. That said, I dont mind reading happy stories, drama , horror, fiction or fact. All my friends on FB are genuine friends and their updates are just a reflection of how they feel. I am glad they include me in their lives and they can post whatever they like- I am cool with that.

 

[peanut56]

I only post the good stuff (for the most part, sometimes I'll complain about being sick or something) on Facebook. My husband and I went through a very rough time when my daughter was first born, but there was no way I would post anything about that. To me, things like that should be kept private.
The way I see Facebook is it's just for fun, and it's a good way to keep up with friends and family that I don't see very often, or see what's going on with people I went to school with and haven't seen in ages, etc. I like reading funny statuses, seeing pictures, things like that.
I have some friends that will post about everything, good and bad. Fair enough, that's their right, but I don't understand why they would want everyone to know such things. One friend posted what her blood pressure was everyday! The same friend also posted about all the things her doctor told her she needed to fix (health wise, obviously) in order to get pregnant. She also posted a countdown to the day she was going to take a pregnancy test. Just things that to me, are private! I haven't seen her since high school, I felt like I didn't need to know those things!
Each to their own, I suppose. But for me, I like to keep it pretty superficial, if you know what I mean. Not too much info about my life, and certainly not the bad things!
But I have to say...the statuses that annoy me on Facebook are the ones that say something like "I can't believe that just happened!" And then when someone inevitably asks, "what happened?" they say "I'd rather not say on Facebook." Well then why post that as your status??? You KNOW people are going to ask!
Sorry, rant over.

 

[PeanutBean]

Hm... I use fb and mostly only have people I really know on it, together with just a few from here who I talk to often. I would never say anything about relationship issues or anything like that (though I also don't have any!). I certainly don't paint a dishonest or disproportionately happy picture though. I do plenty of moaning especially about morning sickness! My statuses are probably most often links or political commentary if I'm honest. Sometimes about my son. A friend of mine on fb the other day posted that she'd been woken by a woman phoning her to say her OH was having an affair with her. I really do not understand why anyone would post something like that!! I don't see the point of having a 'pretend' account but at the same time there are things that should remain private. I use the same rules on fb as I do in life really, if it's something I wouldn't want most people knowing about I wouldn't post it on fb.

 

[Snowball]

I'm guilty of airing my dirty laundry on FB

I've never done it before and always been against it really. However when the crappy time fell on me I let rip and probably still do a little. God help ex if I ever brave it and reactivate his FB

 

[PeanutBean]

Aw Snowball, your experience was pretty specific though!

 

[Snowball]

Aw Snowball, your experience was pretty specific though!

I still get moment where I think, 'Did I really do that?'

Ben made me laugh the other day when he said Sarah suffered with all the questioning over me doing it. Ahhhhhhh bless her little heart

 

[PeanutBean]

Poor husband-stealing dear.

 

[moomin_troll]

all my pictures are from happy times, the only picture ive ever taken of a sad moment was i took a picture of my husbands funeral flowers. i didnt even think about posting that picture but i still have it