Digital Space

Sunday 11 January 2015

The harsh
yellow-stripped
fact of the matter

Is that digital fingers
clicking like, retweet, favourite and ♥
do not ladle you soup.

Likes, retweets, favourites and ♥
while you finger the grate
with your toes.

If you slid through the 3D bars of Not My Problem
they would leave condolences
on your wall.

They would feel sad for the second
it took for  another avatar's rise
to take your place.

8 comments

  1. Replies
    1. Thank you, my dear.

      I think, rather than being quite so black and white about the quitting FB again thing, I might just call it taken a break instead.

      Delete
    2. My thought is just to not put anything on yourself about it. Don't say "never", but neither say "I'll be back". Just say "I've had enough for now." Take time for what it is and what you need.

      Delete
    3. I don't even know why it's such a big deal. I'm worrying so much about what other people think of me. I think that's part of why I need a break from it. I am just way too paranoid to be on there at the moment. I think too because my life is much more limited than I wish it to be, and I'm a bit of a hermit, social media assumes too much importance. There's this weird love/hate thing going on with it.

      I think what you say here is wise :)

      Delete
  2. I've always found fb to be brutally brief and blunt. I don't like the (to me) cold, quick way it is scrolled through, commented on and moved off from.
    A friend whom I was once very close to, doesn't even check her emails, but prefers clipped convos on fb in her busy life. When I sent her a two page, handwritten (gasp) personal letter on beautiful handmade, flecked paper, she never responded.
    I miss the days of face to face communication with friends and snail mail correspondence on cards and real paper...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It feels very cold to me too, Vicki. I think that's partly why I need a break from it. I'm just too fragile for it at the moment. Which sounds weird, I guess, but it's unfortunately true.

      Such a difference in those two ways of corresponding - one, a continuous, never-ending sort of convo, the other a slower, gentler and more intimate kind of connection. What a shame that she is so busy that she didn't appreciate your gift.

      Delete
  3. Ouch! So true! I agree that FB does become much too shallow. I think partly it was all those posts criticising people who share too much of their lives on it, so now we're all to scared to do that, so all we do is share things that come by instead of our lives.

    Yes we get too dependent on it when we are closed in due to illness. As for letters, I used to love sending those too, though my handwriting is now too abominable so they'd have to be typed! I find that even emails to people get ignored now where i can at least sometimes get a reply if I PM them on FB. When did it become ok not to reply, at least with a smiley, to show you got something? It can feel lonelier than just sitting at home talking to one's dogs to post on FB or email and have nothing come back, or one fly-by comment that is then not repeated into an actual convo.

    I am going more and more over to blogging and bloggers. At least there is some depth to what they write. It's one reason why I've started my own at last!

    I still FB, but it is more a matter of knowing that it is the best way to stay in touch with a lot of people I know, like it or not. I do like that I see more of their photos than I ever did before FB!

    I'm not sure stopping FB cold would make much difference to how much we share of others' lives, or see them, now. They are all so busy. I sometimes feel like a tree, watching the blur of humanity go by me as if they live in a different time frame than me! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I don't know where my reply to you went, Ms TLM. I posted it, and it got stuck in the digital washing machine with all the socks.

    I'm grateful for people like you who feel like trees watching the blur of humanity go by. Makes me feel not quite so alone :)

    I agree about the good things about FB. I've been without it for several weeks now and I guess I feel just as isolated as I did before, only without a slight buzzing in my ears. It feels good. I don't believe I miss it ... nor that I won't ever go back again :)

    ReplyDelete

Newer Older