Facebook Killed the Blogging Star

I have a confession. I am a Facebook addict. I am also the world's biggest hypocrite. After more than a year of yelling/swearing/begging Tor to stay off the stupid thing I have succombed to its powers. I check it first thing in the morning and last thing at night and about every 10 minutes in between. I stalk the friends I already have (I look at their walls, their photos, their friends, I try to look at their friends' walls) and I look for friends I haven't had for years. I am neglecting my house, the bills, the kid, and sometimes when my addiction becomes too much I give in to the ultimate in degradation and Facebook in front of the husband (who yells warranted profanity at me).

I look up people from the past and I compare the then picture in my brain with the now picture staring at me from the computer screen. I am gleeful when they look fatter, homelier, older than I do and I am somewhat sad when they have that killer body I didn't even have on my wedding day. I am a little happy when I see that those "popular" kids from my high school seem to have peaked the day we all graduated, but I can honestly say I am happier when I see someone who has made a life for themself outside of those days and looks like they are doing well. My obsession has become so deluded that I actually friended someone I went to school with but didn't recognize or remember and then googled her to figure out who she was. It took me a week.

It has even killed the blog. Why blog anymore? No one pays attention anyway. You can get the shorter version thru Facebook. Those little updates are all anyone really needs. We don't want a three page diatribe when it can all be summed up in two words. Where else is it cool to speak in third person? Where else does someone think telling the whole world they are going to bed is interesting? I have 100 friends on Facebook, I have 10 people who read my blog and 11 of those are related to me. Why go on?

I'll tell you why. Video may have killed the radio star for a while, but not forever. MTV doesn't even play music videos anymore. The last time I watched a music video I had braces and still had a crush on Wiley Driscoll (who, according to Facebook, has a kid, but won't friend me back). The last time I listened to a favorite tune was just this morning, on Pandora. No videos anywhere.  I predict a blog revolution. People everywhere rising up and wanting to hear what their friends really have to say... I predict the end of an era.

But I wouldn't bank on it. Not enough people read my blog.