Frenemy Number One - [website] Published: 11th of May 2011 by: (c) Staff Training Reporter
Women around the world all seem to have the same kinds of problems when it comes to their Facebook friends, and the line between friend and frenemy can easily become blurred.
I agree with many of the sentiments in a new study conducted by American company Eversave, who in an attempt to identify the impacts of social networking on deals uncovered a few other revealing things about our habits and views on Facebook.
On a positive note, the study found that of the 400 women interviewed 91 percent appreciated the site for allowing them to access friends’ photos and videos, while 76 percent enjoyed the ability of reconnecting with old friends and classmates.
Nearly 80 percent of the respondents said they used the site to keep their friends informed about what they’re up to and just over 60 percent said they liked to share interesting videos and links.
All of this, of course, is very normal Facebook behaviour.
But then it gets to the interesting bits, the things women DON’T like about Facebook, and it seems the line between good Facebook friend and bad Facebook friend is easily crossed.
The main gripe ladies have when it comes to their Facebook friends is the incessant complaining – we’ve all got someone who’s ALWAYS got something going wrong in their lives – they have to endure.
Next on the list was the sharing of unsolicited political views as well as bragging about seemingly perfect lives.
It’s true, Facebook CAN be the most irritating place in the world, you’ve got all kinds of people (not all of whom are the brightest) sharing vast amounts of information that if you’re not careful can fill up your news feed and start eating away at your brain.
Take the proud mommy for example; we all think the newborn is cute, don’t get me wrong, but we do not need updating on its every move until it reaches puberty (which is usually described in all its messy details), nor do we need updating every time YOU make a move (this would be described as the documentarian – for who every one of life’s little occurrences is worth a post).
Then you get those who have found a great way to support a cause (if you can call it support) and try to guilt you into joining with every post they make. The bottom line, people, is that Facebook is not a miracle cure for starvation or cancer, and that no matter how many people join or like a group the only way to combat these things is on the ground. If it makes you feel better about actually doing nothing, then great, I guess they have some use after all, but that’s pretty much where it ends.
The good news is that you don’t have to unfriend these people (and have some very awkward conversations when you next see them) to stop seeing these useless updates. You can do what I do, which is hide their posts from your news feed altogether and avoid offending anyone, while at the same time cleaning up your Facebook.
Or maybe you’re one of the few lucky ones who is completely at peace with their Facebook friends…. From the looks of the survey, however, these lucky women are few and far between.
