People who post on Facebook

Georgesgran

Me neither GSM.
I sometimes think I’m in a parallel universe!

Or me, I often think "What a wonderful life it must be", or an empty one.
Many years ago my DD was stalked because she was found on Facebook and the police became involved. None of us use it.

I'm on FB just to see what family (holidays, etc) are up to but I rarely post things myself. I've some family who go for a walk and post a picture of the view or their meal at a pub which is their way of communicating what they've been up to as a face-to-face conversation is impossible due to distance.

I have privacy settings set. I enjoy various fb sites of interest I also enjoy seeing what my friends and family are up to
I have minimum contacts on there so I am not overwhelmed with inane posts from obscure people!!

I use FB for support from groups with similar problems to mine. Recently I met up with some of the local ones members.
I use it to keep in touch with far flung friends of which I have many.

I find it strange that people criticise a medium of which they have no knowledge.

I’ve never joined. However many folk do & get a lot out of it by all accounts (pun intended).
Each to their own.
?

If you alter your privacy settings, then only those who are friends with you on Facebook can see your posts. My profile picture isn't of me - it's something totally anonymous and my profile itself is locked down so anyone just browsing wouldn't be able to find out very much at all.

It's become my main means of hearing the local news so is valuable.
There are a couple of posters who make me groan as they publish photos of holidays, meals, graduations, DGC.
I have discovered that I can unfollow these boasters.
I don't know if they are covering up a really sad life but they certainly want to show their lives in public.
I post on WhatsApp groups and hardly ever on FB all my DC have insisted on no photos of their DC yet they and the other GP still post occasionally.

I keep to my friends on facebook,too rather than leave it open for everyone. I never even thought of smugness- why would you? I certainly wouldn't but miserable stuff on it anymore than I would moan when I met someone casually in the street.

I post happy photos on Facebook; family, sunsets, travel or my garden. I certainly hope my friends don’t think I’m being smug and a show off. But I don’t have a long list of acquaintances; mostly family and closer circle of friends.

I tend not to air my political views, but I know lots of people see it as their personal soap box to shout out theirs.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

I use FB to keep in touch with friends world wide,when my Croatian friend died last year his son sent photographs of the flowers I had sent ,on the grave.
Thats another story ,they were not what I'd paid for so I felt awful but I at least knew not to use that florist again.I wouldn't keep in touch with cousins nearly as much without FB ,so I really get a lot from it

It depends how your privacy settings are set, kircubbin2000. Mine are set so that only my small group of Facebook friends can see.
As mentioned upthread, it is a lovely way to see photos of my family abroad. I don’t have WhatsApp.

A lot of people don't seem to realise that the whole world can see their posts.One of my friends regularly posts things like Happy Birthday Mary, hope to see you next week etc,which Mary may never read.
Another posted how she had seen the local doctor dining in a local restaurant and passed on some quite personal info about him. She is no longer on Facebook and I wonder did he take action about what she had said.

You do realise that people can still enjoy life and post pictures and updates even if their life isn’t 100% perfect all the time, don’t you?

Esspee

I have no interest in advertising my life on Facebook ànd question the maturity of those who do.
Surely getting photos and messages by email or WhatsApp is far preferable to generic postings on Facebook?

On the contrary, it can be an absolute lifeline for some people. I'm a member of a group for people who suffer from the same medical condition as I do, for instance - and it's been a life changer for me, as it helped me find a way to manage and live with my condition when the medical profession couldn't. I keep in touch with old friends and workmates and found it especially helpful during lockdown when we couldn't meet others in person. If you have no interest in social media, that's fine - it's not compulsory - but for some people, it can literally be a life saver. I have a friend who is bipolar and often finds herself unable to leave the house because of her depression and anxiety - but by keeping with touch with others via social media, she can gradually build herself up to the point where she is able to face the outside world again. Social media has its bad points, there's no doubt about that - but it can be a force for good too.

Esspee

I have no interest in advertising my life on Facebook ànd question the maturity of those who do.
Surely getting photos and messages by email or WhatsApp is far preferable to generic postings on Facebook?

Really? You don't think that some people might have got into the rhythm of posting their photos to family and friends before WhatsApp arrived on the scene and that not everybody has the ability to send a load of photos to various people? What a very derogatory view of people who do post on FB.

I try to only put positive things on Facebook as a general rule because I don't think it is the place to have a good moan. If I have something negative to say, I tend to say it in person so my friends and family know what I am going through but can see I am alright. My page is mostly so I can keep in touch with family and friends with photos or announcements.

FB is not for me but I know it is very popular. I do enjoy seeing photos on GN and hearing good news from other posters. It's all about personal choice.

Esspee I find your comment questioning the maturity of Facebook users offensive, on Facebook you can narrow down the receivers to just one person if you want, it doesn’t have to be open for the whole world to see. Also we are not all posting about our so called happy lives, most of us are just keeping in touch. By the way I am now 75 and consider myself mature

Some people just always have to put down something they don’t indulge in or understand
I post on Fb for each of my children grandchildren or close friends birthday/Cxxxxxxxx sometime with photos
If I take an interesting photo on my travels I ll put that on sometimes when I m swimming in a group we get a photo taken or if there’s a festival or special occasion
No one has to look if they don’t want to it’s only for close friends and family any way
There’s plenty of people on here tell us about a wonderful trip an concert or theatre visit or their new kitchen or a new dress

Why would it bother you pass on by if you don’t like to see these things it’s just a way of keeping in touch

Elizabeth27 I think the difference is that we usually know our contacts on Facebook in real life and are aware that their life is not as rosy as they make out. That is one of the reasons I closed my account. On here our friends are mainly virtual and and there is no evidence to dispute what they say. I for one love to see pictures of their beautiful gardens and hear about the successes of their family members. I don’t consider it boasting.

For me Facebook has become a bit 'smug couples boasting' since my DH died 3 years ago. All the concerts, holidays etc they go to as a couple. Glad they are happy, but sometimes when I'm down it emphasises all they things myself and my DH will no longer be able to do.

I have no interest in advertising my life on Facebook ànd question the maturity of those who do.
Surely getting photos and messages by email or WhatsApp is far preferable to generic postings on Facebook?

Same here Nanna8, it keeps me touch with friends I made in Asia and when travelling, also have a few ex students asking for help with what does this mean stuff.. I belong to a few groups, history group, a sewing group and womens cycling and I love it

For me it is absolutely the only contact I have with some family and school friends who live overseas. I never put much personal stuff on because I don’t trust it, just general things about holidays, days out, what we are doing etc. It is good for history,too - lots of very old pics of some of the places where my ancestors lived.