Tuesday, April 7, 2009

My Name is Ingrid, and I'm a Facebook Addict

It started out innocently enough.

"Hey Ingrid," an overseas friend IM'd one day. "You should sign up for Facebook so we can keep track of each other more easily."

"Really? I'm not sure I have time to follow a new program. I can barely keep my blog updated," I replied, knowing that, in fact, my blog was NOT updated.

"You don't have to update it that often. Just every once in awhile. C'mon, it'll be fun."

Thus started my descent into Facebook addiction Sure, initially I only checked it a couple times a week. Added some cutsey photos and throw away status updates. It was kinda fun. Then along came the Facebook Blackberry app. I could update my status anywhere! The ferry line, my office, the grocery story. EVERYONE could know that I was buying red grapes instead of green, or that I was stuck in a traffic jam because a soccer mom's texting while driving didn't work out the way she wanted and she ended up rear ending her PTSA president.

But still, I had CONTROL. I could Facebook or not Facebook, I could stop anytime. I didn't NEED to do it. Then along came the iPhone, and with it, the iPhone Facebook App. Mobile uploads were a must. And I just HAD to know what drink I was, if I was truly a Pacific Northwesterner, and if I could be a shoe, what shoe would I be...

At some point... and I can't even remember when... my husband stopped complaining about my Facebook time and started his own account. I hear addicts can bring their loved ones down. Now we sit side by side in the evening, playing Facebook scrabble on our laptops. In this economy though, is that wrong?

Really, it's not so bad, being a Facebook addict. I've reconnected with classmates, become Check Spellingcloser to relatives I barely knew growing up, kept updated on friends overseas, and become a much better Scrabble player.

Now, about my Twitter habit.

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