Hi. I've had this on my mind for a while because I live in an isolated area so most times my only way to have contact with people outside my dysfunctional family is through social media with Facebook being the only account I use regularly. But in recent years, the things I see on Facebook makes me not want to participate except to use it to maintain the business page and to avoid losing contact with old friends. I just wondered if some others feel the same way and how you deal with the direction the social atmosphere seems to be heading

The thing that bothers me is that more and more people feel compelled to share every moment of their lives even during a crisis. I know this is not news to anyone, but I didn't expect this trend of emotional vampirism and shallow attention seeking to appear in my former close friends and people I think of as intelligent. Someone's family member has a medical emergency and the person who is not sick takes a photo at the hospital and posts it immediately to get attention. My childhood best friend posts transcripts of every conversation she has with an unreasonable person with the accents and speech quirks of the other person emphasized by obnoxious spelling. The other day, I saw someone I usually like take a selfie of themselves crying at the airport to get people to fawn on them. I wouldn't be surprised if normal folks start posting daily photos of their poop to get sympathy or congratulations. The atmosphere just feels increasingly unwholesome.

I used to love Facebook because it allowed me to keep in touch with relatives in other countries and old friends who live far away. It used to be more about posting crafts you made, food you cooked, interesting sights or animals you see in your garden, sharing good news and the occasional vent. It seems social media has grown from small talk type of relationships to the point of an intimate relationship with everyone who is willing to friend you. Instead of sharing your pet's occasional cute moments or odd antics, the whole world has to get a photo announcement every time your dog goes on the same walk or you cat is taking a nap. Something feels wrong about this and I feel guilty if I don't like posts of people I used to interact with a lot. And I'm feeling isolated because people I used to be close to seem to interpret my decreasing activity as lack of support or a snub.

Sorry if this sounds like a rant. I'm actually feeling a bit dejected because of trouble at home and I have some social anxiety so it can worry me a lot if I can't decide whether to like an unappetizing post from an old friend. If anyone wants to share an opinion about current social media and how to participate or react to people you like seeming more and more attention-seeking or narcissistic, I would be very interested. And tips on how or whether to interact or would be helpful as I am becoming more and more of a hermit.