Last week, one of my good friends brought his girlfriend to church with him for the first time. We were sitting downstairs in our MYF room after the service, and she was wearing an cute pair of purple shoes so I decided I would compliment her on them. I leaned across two of my other friends and said, "Elizabeth! I love your shoes!" .... Silence greeted my statement. Then another friend (who goes to school with her) asked, "What did you just call her?" "Elizabeth," I responded, "right?" I began to have this feeling of dread in my stomach. "Uh, Sarah, her name is Julia..." "Oh, crap, SORRY!"
The problem was laughed off for the moment, but I continued to be embarrassed and horrified for the rest of the hour. I couldn't believe I slipped up like that! My best friend goes to school with my friend and his girlfriend and had previously shown me her facebook picture. I saw her name on her facebook, and of course, it was her middle name that for some reason stuck in my memory... caught with the facebook stalk.
Presumably, most teenagers (at least those that have Facebooks) have gotten themselves stuck in some situation or another where Facebook has been part of the problem, so here is a list of situations to avoid if you don't want things to become extremely awkward extremely quickly.
Facebook is AWKWARD List
1. You've seen a friend of a friend's Facebook, and therefore know their name, but have never actually met them before (so they probably don't know yours). You walk up with a smile and a,"Hello, Blank." It's received with silence and a who-are-you-exactly? look... AWKWARD.
2. Some kind-of friends are laughing about a funny video... that just happened to be posted on one of their Walls... that you just happened to see... that you just happened to think was hilarious. You start to laugh and comment on one of their comments. Hmm. Turns out you weren't actually in that conversation, and they have no idea how you know about the video... AWKWARD.
3. Someone is throwing a party and it seems like everyone is invited. You've heard about it at school and people have been posting info about it all over Facebook, but you haven't been invited yet. You ask the person throwing the party if they forgot to invite you... AWKWARD.
4. Don't make stupid comments on people's pictures in order to look cool. It's not smart, because you look dumb to begin with, and then if the other person is smart, they'll delete their comments which makes you look even more dumb... AWKWARD.
5. Make sure you log off of your Facebook account when you personally are not the person sitting in front of your computer. Your friends will post something as your status, and your parents will most likely see it and ask you about it, because it will most likely be inappropriate... AWKWARD.
:) Avoid the awkwardness.
Peace to all and stay safe.
The problem was laughed off for the moment, but I continued to be embarrassed and horrified for the rest of the hour. I couldn't believe I slipped up like that! My best friend goes to school with my friend and his girlfriend and had previously shown me her facebook picture. I saw her name on her facebook, and of course, it was her middle name that for some reason stuck in my memory... caught with the facebook stalk.
Presumably, most teenagers (at least those that have Facebooks) have gotten themselves stuck in some situation or another where Facebook has been part of the problem, so here is a list of situations to avoid if you don't want things to become extremely awkward extremely quickly.
Facebook is AWKWARD List
1. You've seen a friend of a friend's Facebook, and therefore know their name, but have never actually met them before (so they probably don't know yours). You walk up with a smile and a,"Hello, Blank." It's received with silence and a who-are-you-exactly? look... AWKWARD.
2. Some kind-of friends are laughing about a funny video... that just happened to be posted on one of their Walls... that you just happened to see... that you just happened to think was hilarious. You start to laugh and comment on one of their comments. Hmm. Turns out you weren't actually in that conversation, and they have no idea how you know about the video... AWKWARD.
3. Someone is throwing a party and it seems like everyone is invited. You've heard about it at school and people have been posting info about it all over Facebook, but you haven't been invited yet. You ask the person throwing the party if they forgot to invite you... AWKWARD.
4. Don't make stupid comments on people's pictures in order to look cool. It's not smart, because you look dumb to begin with, and then if the other person is smart, they'll delete their comments which makes you look even more dumb... AWKWARD.
5. Make sure you log off of your Facebook account when you personally are not the person sitting in front of your computer. Your friends will post something as your status, and your parents will most likely see it and ask you about it, because it will most likely be inappropriate... AWKWARD.
:) Avoid the awkwardness.
Peace to all and stay safe.
I totally agree; facebook, with all of the good qualities it has, can be a real pain sometimes. I think this is a great topic and a very nice post!
ReplyDeleteplus, I enjoyed hearing that story again. :D
Hahahahaha. I love this post because I am one of the primary people for whom this applies, and I've done almost all of those things, (except leave my facebook up when I'm not there -- I'm very protective of my stalking territory...), but you make it light and funny, so I feel like it's excusable.
ReplyDeleteI also like your closing sentiments, and I second Vivian's comment about hearing that story again. So funny. :P <3
The last warning should be taken especially seriously. A little blonde girl I remember who has since graduated used to love to do this to me...
ReplyDeleteI really loved this post! I can definitely connect with every single thing on your list. It's always awkward and just surreal (right word?) when you see someone in real life for the first time but you've seen their profile you've seen countless times. Funny how Facebook is built entirely for stalking purposes but it's still taboo to admit it unless you're with close friends. Great job :)
ReplyDeleteHah, I have no FB! Also, have you seen FailBook? I presume yes.
ReplyDeleteVery nice post. Facebook does seem to give me the false sense that I actually know people. And when I see these specific people in real life I have to remind myself that I don't actually know them.
ReplyDeleteI am very protective of my Facebook and making sure nobody else ever gets a chance to use it. If it ever happens, I just delete everything that was posted and pretend like it never happened.
I feel like this entry is something I should take notes on. I am Numero Uno when it comes to knowing the "who, what, when, where, and "what picture they were tagged in". I have also, and still on occasion, commit Facebook taboo.
ReplyDeleteSuch a pragmatic entry!
Haha I loved reading the list. It's funny and educational. Facebook has great potential for awkwardness and I'm glad you captured it.
ReplyDeleteI hate the first scenario most of all. And number 3 is also really annoying. It used to be considered good manners to not discuss parties and whose invited in public areas, obviously facebook does not apply.
ReplyDeleteReally funny post. I like how you introduced it with an actual story. It made me believe that you really had a personal connection to how awkward facebook stalking can be.