Facebook

I have unfollowed (but no deleted) a lot of friends who post highly personal, TMI (too much information), or angry rant like posts on Facebook.  I follow a lot of celebrities, companies who sell products I like, and fan based pages.  While going through my Facebook timeline, I noticed that most of the posts I read were not from people, but from these companies I liked.  Those posts that were from people I knew tended to focus on movies, books, food, pets, social & political issues and travelling. 

J is an American friend who posts a lot about politics, her favourite shows/books/movies, her daughter, and cats.  She has a little girl who just recently started school, and is often talking about her frustrations with the educational system.  The video she shared was of University students in the States and how little they knew about their own history.

D is a social media expert and a lover of all things geeky.  Her posts tend to focus around her job as a social media manager, pictures of her pets, and fan videos, fandom memes, gif sets and more.  In this case, she’s posting a ‘spoiler’ about the recently released Star Wars video and saying she’s ‘sorry, not sorry’ because the movie has been out for a long enough time now.  She really, really loves geek culture, is a huge gamer, and often speaks out about sexism in gaming culture.

M was a friend from high school.  She’s posted a photo of herself in an outfit to match the era of “Pride, Prejudice & Zombies.”  With her is someone else who is dressed like a zombie.  M is a huge fan of books and geek culture as well.  She has said she is very excited to see the movie, and I’m assuming she and her friend are headed to watch it in full costume.

L is interested in attending the Silver Millennium Masquerade Ball.  Without clicking on this, I assume it has something to do with Sailor Moon.  I remember that she really loved that show as a kid (and still does now) as she recently posted about a gift she had received from a friend that was Sailor Moon Themed.    

I don’t know J very well anymore, but she keeps showing up on my newsfeed because of the news articles and funny posts she makes.  I could not tell you what she is up to her life, but I know posts a lot about sexism, racism and equality.

The last time I saw J2 was in University.  We were in the same program and worked together, so when we saw each other outside of class or work, it was usually at a party.  These days he is focused on his marriage, his job as a teacher, and his new born daughter, who he is currently trying to find a new carrier for.

I have not seen A since high school, but I know he recently left one job to start a new career, he lives with his girlfriend who he seems to really love, and has an adorable cat who he is constantly posting photos and videos of.

Sometimes, the most random things end up on my timeline.  But that's to be expected when you follow Tumblr.

 The posts I see are all picked out because of the accounts I interact with most often. so they also reflect my own interests.  There are many users I’m ‘Friends’ with who I never see on my timeline anymore, and anyone who starts posting things that are essentially overshare, I end up blocking.

More than updates from my friends, were posts from pages I’ve liked.  Corruption and policy brutality news reports, PSAs against drinking and driving, posts from George Takei, recipes (mostly from Buzzfeed and Tasty), and post that a breaking down the current Republican and Democratic debates. 

Studying Facebook

A screenshot from Instagram (personal communication, February 2, 2016). 

I will emulate Jenn's format, because she did it oh-so-cleverly. As I started studying my Facebook timeline, it was difficult to find statuses that weren't shared links. That’s likely because I often unfollow "friends" who post effusive, highly personal status updates. 

Most of my timeline posts are content from institutions or personalities I follow ie. The New York Times, 

George Takei, Jezebel. Clearly, they’re looking to promote their own content or causes, so I’ve decided not to examine their narratives. 

A sample post on my Facebook timeline.

I decided that I would only examine Facebook posts that were original content, native to Facebook. Like Jenn, out of concern for my friends’ privacy, I won't be sharing identifying information about my friends. 

1) G. is a former work colleague of mine, who changed his profile picture to an image of himself and his wife looking pensive or skeptical. They're outside sitting on steps of a large public library. I think G. intended all of his friends to see this photo. Indeed, the profile photo is used as an avatar across the site and can come up in Google searches. From this, I’m guessing G. wants to show the importance of his relationship with his wife. 

2) K. is a former high school classmate who I haven't spoken to in years. She writes that she thinks she's lost her wedding ring in a garbage bag filled with dirty diapers. It's accompanied by many anguished emojis. 

The message is brief and powerful. I think the post is made to garner sympathy and words of encouragement. From this message, I'm imagining that she's a busy mom and wife with many responsibilities. 

3. N. 's photo shows herself and young niece at a birthday party. The accompanying text says how  N. loves and cherishes the niece, S. This "friend" often posts pictures of her family and friends. I'm a former colleague of N.'s and yet I can see this personal picture, so this photo is very public.

N. is quite pretty, and most of her FB posts are selfies with family and friends. This portrays  that she has strong relationships with others and values her family and friends.

A screenshot of B.'s Facebook post.

4. The next post is a lengthy, esoteric post promoting a yoga retreat in Southeast Asia. It was posted by the organizer of the retreat, a high school acquaintance named B. 

B. posted a picture alongside the text, showing her posing under a gorgeous, bougainvillea tree. The picture is washed in warm light, and B. is smiling invitingly while wearing a tummy-baring yoga outfit. The photo captions suggests B. is having "a midday frolic through Eden" (personal communication, February 2, 2016).

I think her post is to evoke emotion in the reader. Because B. is promoting her event, she's intending the post to be widely read and shared. The appealing image is meant to attract the reader and get them intrigued by the yoga retreat. Most of our mutual network would be in rural Alberta, suffering through the winter. The post is enticing and says "come join me in the sun in Southeast Asia". 

5. S. is a high school friend who posted regarding the broken pilot light on her furnace. Three commenters gave S. advice, after which she responded that the furnace was fixed. 

From this post, I’m gleaning that S. is a homeowner with responsibilities. She's trying to be pro-active and solution-oriented. Also, she’s living in Calgary and she’s still suffering through the brutal Alberta winter. 

S. is quite prolific with Facebook postings, so I think she intends them for a wide audience. I don’t know her very well anymore, but I can still glean lots of information about her job, recreation activities and marriage. 

References

Jezebel. (2016, February 2).  Sarah Palin, February 1, 2016: "You ready for peace through strength and that Reagan-ous posture that would tell any enemy, 'Uh uh, we’re America, so we win, you lose!'" [Facebook status]. Retrieved from http://www.facebook.com/Jezebel/posts/10153166141642434.