GOING VIRAL...or, my days on Facebook

So, my friend, Pam, invited me to be her friend.  I am her friend, so going the next step didn't take genius.  Then my friend, Giovanna, invited me to be her friend.  I am her friend, so commiting to facebook, opening an account, didn't seem beyond the ken.  So I signed up.  And ignored it for a few days.  Then, like a magnet, like the tide, I was pulled in...I had to find the perfect picture for my profile!  (A snapshot?  a recent one?  and not-so-recent one?  who's going to be looking at this?) 

I found a photo I like and wrestled with the computer to get it uploaded, downloaded?, and walked away.  Then, back I went, what other options do I have for my profile?  My home page??  What do other people have?  Work?  Play?  Education?  Favorite Books?  Favorite Movies?  And, of couse, Facebook referred me to  Pam's page and Giovanna's page to see what they did....

and I noticed, they've got lots of friends.  There's a list right there, a bunch of names I know, a bunch I don't, but a bunch of names.  Then...a lot of pictures popped up of people I know...inviting me to invite them to be my friend, I just had to click a button....I couldn't control my fingers, click, click, click...and then I waited for them to confirm they were my friends.  (If they weren't my friends, would I invited them to be my friends??)

There followed an intensive 4 hours whereby I ran to the computer every 10 minutes to see who had confirmed my friendship...I couldn't help myself.  It was a drug.  It was invigorating.  It was validating.  I was popular!!!  By the end of 4 hours or so, I had 20 friends....wowee zowee.  I was thrilled.

Then, I thought this might be a great way to keep in touch with my neice and nephews...so the hunt began.  Found 'em; my neice has over 600 friends.  What does one do with 600 friends?  My friend, Bill, has over 200 friends.  What does one do with 200 friends?...I have trouble managing relationships with 20.

Here is my dilemma:  I am offended to my core having to "invite" people to be my friends.  They're either my friends or they're not.  My friends are people for whom I care, with whom I share something in common, with whom I want to spend time, share a meal, talk about a book, go to a movie.  I don't need to "invite" them into my life, they're already there.

But those nephews and neice...I'm not in daily contact and this might be a way to keep my connections with them....hmmm...and read stuff I don't want or need to know.  And acqaintances, people whom I like, but don't see often, I can connect with them briefly.  Maybe that's worthwhile???

Being on the other side of the world and trying to make a life here while maintaining a semblance of a life there, maybe this is a good way to do it.  Or not.  I don't know.  BUT, I am astounded by the speed with which a network of friends/acquaintances hooked up with me....mine is a minor, minor example, but if my experience in any way parallels Viral movements, this world is indeed shrinking at a very fast pace.  My head spins!

My verdict about Facebook is still out; but can one ever have enough friends???