Two-Facebookers and Drama Queens

I am not a fan of drama queens.  On my recent trip to Bali, I bought the TV series 'Privileged' and if anyone hasn't watched it, the show is about a Yale graduate named Megan Smith who goes to work as a private tutor for a sickeningly wealthy Palm Beach family.  Megan has major family issues (father who is a drunk, mother who abandoned her as a child) and the show is basically just the 'woe is me' whinings of this girl who pulls everyone she comes into contact with into her family dramas and has not a thought for what's happening in the lives of the people around her.  Obviously, the show is fictitious and the scenarios acted out are scripted by very well-paid writers but the attitude of the main character rings so true to a few people I know that I can't help raising my hackles in distaste every time she goes off on a rampage about her latest dilemma.

Now, I loooove facebook.  It's almost unhealthy how much time I devote to commenting on all 120 pictures of a friend's wedding or sitting with my finger on the refresh button on my home page in case a new comment has been made on my profile (quite sad, I know).  But one thing I do not love is the amount of attention-seeking status updates that pop into my news feed on a regular basis.  Facebook statuses such as 'Daisy May can't believe it' or 'Martha Mutton doesn't know what to do'.  What can't you believe, Daisy May? Do about what, Martha Mutton? And why do you post these dramatic tantalising teasers that bring my misbehaved, nosy-parker self racing to the surface!

What is even worse about these drama queens is that rarely do they ever clarify what they were refering to, even when directly asked. 

'What do you mean, Kelly Katwell, that you want to crawl up in a ball and die?'

*no response*

'What can't you take anymore, Donna Day?'

*crickets chirping in the background*

              By the way, I don't actually have facebook friends named Kelly Katwell and Donna Day.    
              I'm not too sure why all the made-up names I came up with either have the same first letter
              or sound like they belong to a Southern hill-billy.  Maybe I've just been hearing too much
             about True Blood at work :-p

I'm not aiming this at anyone in particular or meaning to cause offense to anyone.  It's just really, really annoying when people post comments like these that are obviously going to make people wonder what's going on but then get upset when friends ask what's wrong. 

Another minor grievance that I have with this world of electronic communication we find ourselves in (now that I'm firmly sat on my high horse) is how easily misinterpretable information can be.  My sense of humour is questionable at the best of times and without facial expression and tone of voice, I somehow manage to land myself in a great, big pot of bother without having the faintest clue why. 

In the same way that it's easy to cause offense through electronic communication, it's also just as easy to take offense.  Faceless communication allows cowards to make their grievances known without the reprecussions of a verbal confrontation.  A face-to-face discussion demands a solution, a resolution to a problem.  Whether it's a heated debate, an agreement to recognise each other's differences or a tearful apology, it generally brings some sort of conclusion to the matter.  Social networks allow problems to go unresolved, simply by applying the 'Block friend' option.  Not very brave and definitely not cool.

And I'd just like to end this mini rant of mine by saying one small thing: I am not a mind reader.  If I have offended you or said something to hurt you but am still smiling and being nice to you, then most likely I am unaware that you are upset.  If you are upset, please tell me so that I can apologise.  But please don't be nice to my face and then call me every name under the sun behind my back.  Be a grown-up and give me the chance to tell my side of the story.  It might not be as bad as you think :-)