I’m addicted

I am addicted. No it is not cocaine, crack, heroine or marijuana but this addiction is serious and it can ruin my life because as a result of it I can lose my job.

I am trying to see if I can get into rehab but it seems there is none available for this sort addiction and turning to my friends in this time of need is of no help as, shockingly, they are also addicted!

I am addicted and I need help! I am addicted to Facebook! Yes you heard me, I am addicted to Facebook and I need help!

Okay so now I see why some people continue to do something over and over even though they know it is wrong and they need to stop and move on. Heck, I am not as addicted as Tiger Woods was, but the man was getting some kind of sweetness, I think. I am also enjoying Facebook so I guess now we are in the same boat, err no, we are not, but I am still addicted.

I had wisely resisted the temptation to join Facebook for a while but I capitulated following numerous invites, verbal and written, and I am now a proud addict.

I have work to do. Like right now I am writing this piece and I am taking a peep at Facebook to get a glimpse at the latest updates. Talk about addiction.

But on a serious note there is so much you can learn from Facebook. (Secret: I have not learnt much from facebook that can improve my life but I have indeed been minding my friends’ and their friends’ business).

There have been a few news tips but on the upside, I get to see what my friends are doing; who they are dating; if they are married and to whom; how many children they have, etcetera, and etcetera. Well they are not really my close friends, because if they were then I should have known those things already. But people I am acquainted with and yes you have guessed it, I am inquisitive (fast, as we Guyanese say) and those are the things I want to know.

You would agree though Facebook is very informative. I mean you get to know which of your friends are ‘bored’, ‘single’, ‘need to see Dr Phil’, ‘want to know if he loves me’, and I can go on and one. People say the strangest things on Facebook and as one user said, the social networking site has its own ‘Young and the Restless’ thing going on. You find out whether you want to or not: who is broken-hearted; who is going through a difficult patch in life; who had a hard day at work; who is frustrated; heck you can even know the price of cabbage!

And yes the photos, the photos, who can forget the photos? I always thought that people would display their best photos, especially when they know it’s not just their family and close friends viewing them. But no, some people seem to take pleasure in making themselves the centre of ridicule by posting some of the most ridiculous and horrible looking photos on Facebook. Okay, I suppose your postings are supposed to generate comment, but many are too kind to say it as it is: that the photo is absolutely horrible and should be taken down. But at the end of the day it is their Facebook page and it is their photos so who is to say…

I like going through the photos and I would say to myself sometimes, “she is so fat!” or “I am older than her and she looks so much older!” or “why the heck does she have so many children? She wants to open a school?” or “where in the world did she get that outfit, can’t she see it makes her look like a …..…”  Okay, these are not really kind things, but the good thing is, I say them to myself.

You can’t run away from the fact that Facebook is handy. I mean, I have known people for years, who would drop me an email every six months or maybe once a year because they are so busy with work, school and family. I understand because I do the same thing too. But lo and behold I join Facebook and these very peeps are on like every second of every day, commenting on everyone’s postings and making posts themselves. Yep, the very people who were too busy to send me a line or two before… But I forgive them (hope they forgive me too because I am doing the same).

Geez I am ashamed of myself and this Facebook thing and I promise to make a conscious effort to break this addiction and I am going to check myself into rehab, if I can find suitable one that is.

So my friends, I hereby declare I am taking a long break from Facebook and may ever be back. But wait, she did what? I must comment on this post. I guess you will be seeing and hearing more of me; after all I have to keep up with what’s happening.

I am addicted and I am going to remain happily addicted. Please don’t tell my boss. I don’t want to be fired! (thescene@stabroeknews.com)