Hi,
Firstly, I hate Facebook...it is not solely about staying in touch with people and connecting with long lost friends, family, work and school mates. It's a competition of who can 'befriend' the most people. This could very well be a perceptual paranoia, but either way Facebook brings it out. When I belonged to Facebook (for a very short time), I had known people to have upward of 500-something "friends." Now, I'm not a sociologist, but I don't know of anyone who has that many "friends" in real life, let alone remember that many names and still have conversations with them. I felt pathetic with my 8 friends, which included a few real life friends, family and my spouse.

I would constantly get 'friend requests' from people I had gone to school with, yet never even interacted with once-- some of which were even past bullies! I felt insulted that a friend request was simply incentive to make their 'friend list' larger, rather than to have a real human connection via the internet. I would also get friend requests from friends of friends whom I had never even met before! My ex girlfriend also tried to 'befriend' which caused a series of paranoia and anxiety of having to talk with her again...

As a person with BPD, I already have problems with interpersonal relationships. I have these distorted perceptions...I would write something with thought and depth and because Facebook is such a superficial venue, no one would bother to read or respond...which made my frustration worse and my BPD traits come out of the woodwork. (What is the point of 'connecting' with people when the connection is so contrived and shallow?) I didn't have to think long and hard to realize that Facebook was not for me. It was at best amusing for it's quick shares of funny or political photos and anecdotes, it was at worst many of my BPD (or re-living highschool) nightmares come true. It was a source of frustration, fear, paranoia and lonliness...

I can understand what it's trying to allow people to do, but it was just too strange for me. I'm competent in technology and it was accessible as far as navigatibility but just too superficial a place.

I much prefer writing friends and family emails and having 1-on-1 discussions via private messaging apps. This also doesnt display conversations publicly to all my other 7 'friends' or anyone else on FB! I know you can change settings so that certain people can't view certain things and what not... but for me, I'm trying to be consistent and authentic all the time.

My thoughts get all weird around facebook...