I have a Facebook account. I know, I know. But it's actually been a fun way to reconnect with old friends -- from my hometown (which is technically Jackson Heights but, having moved from there at the age of four months, I relinquish my claim to it), from high school, college, my Random House days, and so on. As it turns out, people who are old-enough-to-know-better (i.e. over 17) use Facebook and its nerdy brethren to lie their ways into false friendships. Granted, not every one of my 120 friends is someone I'm in touch with on a regular basis, but I have not fabricated my way onto any of their pages, as others seem to do with alarming frequency. Let me explain:
I recently re-friended a gentlemen I know from home, and have been enjoying a lively back-and-forth how-have-you-been-the-past-15-years conversation with him. So when another gentleman with a vaguely familiar name sent me a request and explained, "It seems you and I are both friends with [redacted], and you seem cool from your profile, so I thought we could be friends," fairly pathetic approach notwithstanding, why would I have assumed that he and [redacted] aren't friends?! I did, however, write back, "How exactly were you able to see my profile?" (oh come on folks, most of you know that you can only read someone's profile once you've befriended them). To which he replied something to the effect of, "Oh -- I guess somehow I was able to read part of it and do you know which [hometown high school] years' reunions are coming up?" prompting me to say, "Um -- I would imagine those ending in a 3 or an 8." I then emailed our mutual friend, asking for more info about this smooth operator, and friend said, "Don't befriend him! I barely know the guy!" Apparently "the guy" has been poaching friends from Actual Friend's Facebook page.
Now, this has got to be a contender for the least effective popularity contest ever. Anyone with an account on one of these insular little pastimes knows how they work. Wow! So-and-so has 247 friends! How had I never realized what a catch he so obviously is! His profile doesn't mention his being "in a relationship" -- I should hook him up with my single friends! Twenty-three people have sent him good Karma, and look how big his lil' Green Patch has gotten! How is a gem like this still single?
Anyway, snarky, cooler-than-thou attitude aside, I wish The Poacher best of luck with whatever it is he's attempting to do, provided it is no more underhanded than it seems. May he find love, friendship, networking and all the Superpokin' he can handle in the cyber world and beyond.
3 comments:
Oh this is interesting coming from someone who made fun of my sincere lack of Myspace friends (which has now climbed to 12 - 4 of whom I don't really know). Ed
P.S. sorry about the anonymous thing. I've read how you love it.
Anonymous Ed, you can comment as much as you want ... and my apologies for mocking your appalling lack of cyber-popularity ...
Love you!
That photo reminds me A LOT of the Watergate Hotel in DC. Could it be??
As much as I love Facebok, I've had to turn down several offers of friendship to people who I, frankly, don't know. And I really don't want to deal with sabotage at this point. : )
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