You're not on Facebook? Damn, it must feel like you're living under a mushroom! How do you stay in touch with people and events?! I had someone say this to me today, seriously. Admittedly it was a rather young person so that's somewhat an excuse for the ridiculous comment, however there's probably plenty of others, much older, who probably think the same thing!
I'm not on Facebook and have not been for around two years or so. I can't actually recall when I deleted it, but I recall it being a liberating and freeing experience. The problem was I found myself feeling negative about it and over time realised that I saw less and less of what I wanted to see and more propaganda. I didn't use it much to be honest and posted on rare occasions. One day I simply came to the decision that I found it far more negative than positive.
There's many people, like the young inexperienced-in-life-know-it-all who told me I must live under a mushroom, who feel they can't live without Facebook and for them maybe that's true. Maybe snooping on other people's lives, what dress they bought, what drink they had, what smashed-avocado breakfast they ate is critical information...Maybe they use it to keep in contact with friends and family - That old chestnut...I get it. Maybe their friends and family are so repulsive that keeping them safely at arms length through Facebook whilst misrepresenting how wonderful their own life is, to said family and friends, is a legitimate use of it. I don't know, there's many reasons a person will use to justify having and using it I guess. For me...No reasons at all.
So, the mushroom life. The comment indicates I don't know anything, that I have very little information and am out of touch I suppose. Yes well...Nope. It would be a mistake to think that although it's your prerogative...[You're allowed to have a free thought you know...One not planted in your noggin by Sir Zuckerberg and his merry band of assholes.]
I wouldn't consider myself out of touch at all to be honest. Do I know anything about quantum mechanics? Nope. Can I perform brain surgery? (probably but I wouldn't recommend that you'd want to be the patient.) Do I know whats going on behind closed doors in the White House? Nope. Do I know the exact dimensions of Kim Kardashian's ass and what colour she painted her nails? Hell no. I don't know those things because I don't care about them. But I know many other things, most of which are important to me on a day to day basis, and I'm happy with that level of understanding. I also keep in contact with my family on a daily basis, all privately and securely between the group of us and all without having Facebook. I do the same with friends...I mean friends, not Facebook friends...There's a difference of course.
So nope, I'm not an under a mushroom dweller and am certainly not an uninformed individual. I don't know everything like the average 20-something year-old, but then we all know that they don't either...Shh, don't tell them that they don't know everything...Ignorance is bliss seemingly.
Anyway, you all probably thought I was doing one of those idiotic mushroom-Monday posts with nothing but a picture but it's unlikely I'll ever do one of those, and if I do, please, someone flag me. [Image courtesy of a family member]. I was just struck by the idiocy of the comment today and probably more so by the realisation that that person who said it is brainwashed, indoctrinated, into believing that Facebook, and more importantly reliance on it, is essential. Frightening really.