I was on Facebook when it first started to be used by high-school students. I was keeping in touch with people from speech meets (I know, I know...) Here are some things I have observed, and information I am willing to bestow on the very young people who have found their way onto Facebook now, as someone who has moved on into "young adulthood." (Just for the record, I am very aware of how condescending that sounds. Sorry about that.)
- Those long convos that you like to have on wall posts, and pictures, yeah, they aren't so cool when you graduate from college. I know it's a social norm, and a very important part of your communication, much like texting is and IMing was, but it really is annoying to everyone not involved in the conversation.
- Don't typ lik dis. No kool. NOT CUTE. Not smart.
- I know most people have gotten better, but please watch the privacy settings! Double check every new album, picture, and status update, unless of course you want to share everything with the world. If that is your goal in life, to do away with all sense of privacy (and attempt to create your own land of celebrity as it were) who am I to say boo?
- Not everyone needs to be your friend. They are not Pokemon. We don't need to catch them all.
- Everyone can see everything you post on your wall, and the more comments, the more popular and the more flags it gets. Don't have dumb arguments on your wall. It's the equivalent of standing in the middle of the school hallway and hollering. Very mature.
- Not all of those pictures of you and your friends making those silly faces are going to make you proud. Ditto for the selfies that are running rampant even more so thanks to Instagram... We know what you look like, and so do all your classmates. Relax. I'm not saying stop it all, but we don't need four new ones per day...
- It is okay to wait to post your relationship status until you know it will last more than 2 weeks.
- It's okay to keep secrets. By that, I mean, we don't need to know everything about you or all your friends.
- Staying that socially connected, all the time, is not necessarily a good thing. You can (and should) exist away from everyone sometimes. You will not be in touch with all of these people for the rest of your life. Stick with the ones that are good for you and your happiness.
- Having a transcript of your teen years isn't the most important thing you will use Facebook for. I now view it as an unhappy byproduct of staying in touch with people who entertain me.
- Don't use it to attack other people. What goes around, comes around, and no, you are not invincible. Online bullying is everywhere, and you can just as easily become a target as the kid you're calling an moron.
- Mostly, know that high school is not the end. These are not the best years of your life. Those are still to come. Anyone who says otherwise is either lying, or jealous of where you're headed.
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