The day I helped my mother set up her Facebook page was an emotional day for me. I
was proud that she was stepping into the 21st century, and even more excited that I would
get to use the iPad I bought her for mother's day at my leisure. Note: You should always
buy gifts for family members that you can benefit from, it's not selfish, and it's a family
investment. When I completed setting up the account and let her log in for the first time,
a strange sinking feeling came over me. The wild look in her eye, with the reflection of
the blue login screen, sent a clear message that the social wrecking ball was about to slam
into me full force.
Soon after my Mom entered the social media arena, so did my aunts, my cousins, and my
ever-growing Italian side of the family from Alabama. Then the wall spamming ensued.
When it comes to what gets posted on my Facebook Wall, I'm really not that picky. I
vowed never to take down posts from random people, unless it was really offensive, and
try to respond to my Facebook friends so they don't feel digitally neglected. The chaos
that occurred when I opened the floodgates and invited the older generation of my family
into my digital life was gnarly.
Although my cousins and I were mirror images of Michelangelo's cherubs at age 3,
no one needs to see pictures of us in my grandma's bathtub. If half naked pictures on
Facebook are going to make me famous one day, they should be tasteful, and artfully
done. They should not be of me with missing teeth, a bottle of Mister Bubble, wallowing
in my own filthy bathwater.
The thread my Mom started with my other family on my wall was just too much to
Handle. Why did they feel the need to talk about whose kid peed the bed until they were
12? Why post pictures from the first day of Kindergarten, or pictures from the time my
brother thought washing dishes in the toilet was sanitary? Not cool Mom, not cool.
So why is it that older generations don't immediately understand how to interact
properly on social media sites? Posting family secrets, lots of baby pictures, and talking
about whose kid reached puberty first is generally information you only share during
Thanksgiving, and behind closed doors.
It doesn't stop with embarrassing posts and threads; it's the way they communicate
in general. Whoever made the baby boomer generation think that they had to have a
signature at the end of each post needs to get a swift kick. You've seen it before, and if
you are part of the generation, I guarantee you've made this mistake too. If you became
friends with your old college roommate, and posted on their wall expressing how much
you've missed them, and how great their Botox looks, you DO NOT need to end your
post with - *~* Love Always Kathy*~*. She knows who you are Kathy. She's known
you for 30 years. She also knows who you are because she had to accept you as a friend,
and most likely reviewed your profile before she clicked Confirm.
I apologize to the Boomers I'm offending, and will say that I understand your need for
formality, because being polite and professional was pounded into your brains from
a young age. I also understand how proud you are of your family, and the legacy that
you can review on Facebook. It's not your fault that you are now reliving your youth at
age 50 something, and trying to catch up with the current trends. Communicating via
social media is not natural for anyone, but if you need help understanding what kind of
communication is socially acceptable, feel free to stalk your younger family members
pages, and remember that informality, is the new formality.
P.S. Mom, I know you asked me why you couldn't see my wall anymore this morning at
breakfast, it's because I blocked you. Sorry it had to be like this.
'Cause we are living in a digital world and I'm a social media girl. XB
An article from
Confessions of A Social Media Girl: Baby Boomers on Facebook, The Digital Generation's Albatross
Filed Under:
Social Media Updates