Facebook. It's what you make of it.

I have had a facebook page for a little over a year now, and I admit I was pretty excited about it at first. I was able to reconnect with old friends and family and it is always great to see what people are doing and new pictures they post. Mostly, I like having a way to keep in touch with people whom I would rarely talk to otherwise, and in a such a way that I get to choose whether or not to send a message. In other words, I like that facebook is anonymous in that I can read posts without responding to them and I can post them without specifying a receiver. Phone calls and emails don't work that way.

Really though, I don't participate very much on facebook. Once in a while, friends of mine and I may get into a witty (or at least we think so) sparring match about an embarrassing old photo or something, or I will sometimes make sarcastic comments about someone's post--things my family and friends expect of me. This is rare though. I might make a comment two times a month and create a post of my own once a month. However, I check my facebook page probably three times a day. I like being the anonymous receiver.

I find it difficult to write about what I reveal or distort on facebook based on potential anonymity, as all of my "friends" know me. I'm not on there to network or anything like that. In fact, the lack of anonymity determines what I do or do not reveal or say. My parents--even my grandparents--are on there. I don't want them logging on and seeing a stupid picture or something I've written without thinking. I did have one wake up call regarding comments I made on a post without thinking. My aunt is running for state representative in a Midwestern state (notice I didn't say which state!)and her post threads often turn into a political debate forum. Reading it one day, I came across some statements I couldn't keep my mouth shut about. They were ridiculous. Needless to say, people were embracing the "norm" of symbolic convergence and assimilation by regurgitating buzz-words and one-liners they heard somewhere. I set them straight though. Or so I thought. Really, I upset everyone. And these weren't even my friends; they were my aunt's supporters. Needless to say, I had to publicly apologize to them and of course, my aunt. So, maybe I'm a little gun shy now about speaking my mind on facebook. I thought I was expressing myself via "the ultimate liberating channel, freeing [me] to be the [person][I] always wanted without the stifling restrictions..." (Wood and Smith 76). Apparently, the people involved with that thread were participating based on established norms which I was either not aware of or had simply failed to consider. Regardless, I am more mindful in my participation now.

One thing I do fairly often is post pictures. I don't just post anything though--it is usually something I think is cool like rock climbing, backpacking, my dogs, or travel pictures. I get to choose how I portray myself, or construct my identity, by strategically choosing what I post. Someone who I don't talk to regularly might think that all I do is those things. What they don't see is what I am really doing 95% of the time. As Wood and Smith write, "...Internet technologies offer us the possibility of controlling more aspects of our identity for public consideration than has been possible before." (52) Take my blog for instance. My background picture is the sun rising over Angkor Wat in Cambodia and my profile picture is me climbing at Smith Rock. Cool aren't I? Why didn't I post a picture of me in middle school with braces and a mullet? Why didn't I post a picture of my first car (1983 monte carlo, baby blue)? How about me with my classmates who are ten years younger than me? I have most likely ruined the identity I was shooting for, but the truth is, we all do it to some extent.