I post too many photos on Facebook. The first step is to be aware you have a problem, right? I know I do. I started out posting a few photos here and there when Facebook first started. I peppered in some political posts, witty status updates, and shared some thoughts on things I thought were important. As I got married, the photo posting started to increase. Then the kids came. Oh the children! The sweet baby photos, first step videos, and clever birth announcements. I just can’t stop. People say things, some nice like, “Oh I love seeing all the photos of your kids on Facebook!” to the more “get a grip” type comments like, “Let’s go ahead and check Beth’s Facebook to see what we did today.”
So while I’m here to admit I have a problem, I’m going to do what any good addict does and give some justification for why I do what I do:
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My family loves it.
My grandmother passed away this year, but for a while she was my biggest reason for posting photos. She was 90 years old, but she had a Facebook account and would sign in and see what we did every day. It was so nice because she didn’t get to see the kids that often, but she was able to keep up with what we were doing on a daily basis and she truly loved it. Although she is no longer here to see the photos, my husband’s family and my extended family don’t live in Chattanooga, and it gives us a way to share our lives with them. It is convenient and easy, and helps me stay close to the people I love.
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I only like the photos.
Angry political posts? No, thank you. Passive aggressive status updates? I’ll pass. Selling something that will make me skinny, look better, live longer? Not this girl. I just love ALL the photos. I don’t have any interest in using Facebook to change your mind about religion or politics. I just want to share my photos and see yours. This drives some people crazy, while others appreciate it. I’m sure I was blocked from many friends’ news feeds a long time ago, and that’s ok. I’m not into political posts and you don’t have to be into my Facebook family photo overload. It’s a lot to handle, but so are the political posts and selling things and all of that. The nice part about Facebook is we can still be friends and you don’t have to be subjected to my over sharing. That’s good right??
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I am able to stay in touch with people from all areas of life, living all over the globe.
Sometimes I haven’t seen these people since childhood. I get to see my college friends celebrate the birth of their first child, or the awesome vacation that my high school friend went on, or the job successes someone I went to dental school is experiencing. I am able to share in the excitement of the daily lives of people that I would have lost touch with and possibly never seen again. I feel like I am part of close friends’ lives and if they have something sad or difficult happen, I know and am able to share the ups and downs with them.
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I am busy.
Nothing beats a real face-to-face conversation. I love a handwritten note or a phone call from a far away friend. Unfortunately, with three young kids and a full time job, I (like most friends in this season of life) am really busy. I barely have time to get together with friends who live down the street. Sharing Facebook photos and scrolling through my news feed gives me a little social interaction and happiness in a busy, stressful day. I feel like I would never see my friends without Facebook sometimes. I go to work and come home and spend time with my husband and kids and go to bed and repeat during the week. The fifteen minutes I spend after I put the kids to bed looking at Facebook, sharing photos, and commenting and liking my friends’ photos and posts, give me a bit of interaction with people. Sad, I know, but better than nothing.
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I am in the thirty-something generation that doesn’t really understand Snapchat and all the other cooler social media platforms.
I think I’m stuck on Instagram and Facebook. I’ve tried Snapchat and Twitter, and I just don’t get it. I can’t make the transition. I like the photos to be there and stay there and not disappear. Why all the disappearing?? Sorry, I’m sticking with Facebook photo overload.
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I love the Facebook Memories section.
I love that I get little daily reminders of what my kids were doing on this day three years ago. A forgotten video pops up with my five-year-old son talking in a sweet baby voice that has been left behind. Photos from a fun trip take me back to those happy places, allowing me to visit them again.
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I think the main problem is my love of photos.
I really love taking pictures and having them to look back on. Facebook is an easy scrapbook of our lives where I get the bonus of getting to see everyone else’s fun and happiness too.
