If you're like me, you've noticed many of your Facebook friends (or acquaintances, or people you've known since kindergarten but seldom talk to, or those who might be friends of friends of friends) fleeing the platform like it's no one's business.  But why the exodus?  It's quite simple: People have grown tired of the same old same old.  Many would concede there are benefits to logging on every so often -- from catching timely news to distracting oneself with trending memes or videos of the week. But being barraged with baby pictures and vacation photos for days on end becomes a little tough to stomach after a while.  Granted, some people mean no harm in sharing these special moments with others. It's their way of conveying to the world that they're making the most of their lives and are grateful for the things and people that enrich them. We should try our best to be happy for them, even if we may harbor a smidgen of concealed envy.  However, people und...

I came across the following quote on Facebook earlier today: "Fifteen years ago, the internet was an escape from the real world. Now, the real world is an escape from the internet."  The quote is attributed to Noah Smith, a professor of finance. What Smith is essentially saying is that we seem to "live" digitally now more than we do the traditional way. It makes perfect sense. If you're like me, you probably communicate more with friends and family via email, text, WhatsApp, or social media than you do in person. You're likely shopping more online than you do at brick-and-mortar stores. And you're probably watching movies more frequently through services like Netflix than at the movie theater. While there's no question the convenience the internet affords us has made our lives easier in myriad ways, it's also made human interaction much more impersonal. If you'd asked me in the 90s whether relatives and friends would someday wish ...

Just when we thought the folks at Facebook had thought of everything... For years now, Facebook users have availed of the "Like" button for everything from friends' baby pictures to relatives' funny videos. Meanwhile, though, they clamored for something that had seemingly missed the head honchos' radar screens until now: a "Dislike" button. We spoke, and Zuckerberg and company heard us loud and clear. It turns out that they now have a "dislike" button in the works. I can see good and bad things coming out of this. On the plus side, people can now use the new button for content of a serious or negative nature that just didn't seem appropriate to like, such as posts about people suffering from illnesses, layoffs, divorces, and so on. However, I can imagine some people's feathers getting ruffled at finding that someone "disliked" something they've posted. For example, I don't drink and can't stand it when ...

I can't help but notice how some women seem intent on upstaging each other on Facebook. What was once a platform for merely catching up with buddies has become an outlet for posting more selfies, pictures of children, or photos of vacations than one's friends -- and getting as many "likes" for them as possible. You might be wondering why the title mentions only women. It's because, from what I've observed, men seem a little more Facebook shy. I hardly see my male friends post anything other than humorous pictures ("memes") and videos. If I do happen to see them in pictures or videos, it's usually their wives or girlfriends doing the posting. In other words, it appears that women generally make the Facebook experience much more personal than men, as if they desire more attention and validation from others. They seem to be far more showy, with posts showcasing new dresses, jewelry, or their kids' diplomas. I'm not saying that all wome...

What's your preferred way of traveling? Would you rather travel to places in person, or in your head? For certain people, the latter seems more up their alley. The reasons for this are varied. It may be that they're: Afraid of airplanes Hesistant to deal with the stress that comes from travel Strapped for cash Uncomfortable with the thought of being away from home for days in an unfamiliar place Perfectly content traveling vicariously -- through videos, books, documentaries, and other sources I think I can be a little of both. It all depends on the mood I'm in. Sometimes I would rather spend the weekend at home learning about a city -- say, Paris or Honolulu --- via travel books or videos than by actually traveling there.  Every once in a while, though, I do get the itch to venture beyond the comfy confines of my condo and explore museums, mountains, and other attractions that glossy magazine photos don't do justice to. Some people might argue ...

I don't know if it's just me, but I'm noticing that a lot of my friends have been less active on Facebook these days. Are we getting busier, or is the site's popularity starting to wane? About a year ago, I told some of my closest friends that I predicted the social networking behemoth would eventually go the way of MySpace. It's to be expected of all these sites: They are simply fads. Once something new comes along -- I don't know what that will be but I'm sure Google or another of these huge companies has something in the works -- people gravitate toward it. The same applies to a wealth of consumer products we purchase and use every day -- from clothing to cars. I know a lot of people -- myself among them -- who sometimes feel like their friends go overboard by posting on Facebook the most minute details of their lives on a daily basis, from what they're having for dinner to why they hardly got any sleep last night. We all want to keep in touch, bu...

I've noticed a trend when poring over my Facebook Wall posts: It's usually women who love submitting posts about anything and everything in their lives, from pictures of the foods they eat at restaurants to videos of their newborns. Yet, most men don't seem to share this inclination to publicize everything. Sure, they post pictures and other content here and there, but not to the same degree as their female counterparts. Is it that women are simply trying to outdo other women? It's a well-known fact that women size each other up all the time. Women keenly observe how other women dress, their bodies, their hair, and even their mannerisms. Whether in the workplace or at the club, they are always in competition with each other. Now, that's not to say that men aren't competitive with one another, but I've seen it happen more often with the fairer sex -- and the latter tend to be less subtle about it. I've noted in earlier posts that Facebook is becom...

We all have friends who love disclosing on Facebook virtually everything that pops to mind. From pictures of their lunch to videos of them doing silly things, people are using the social networking site to fill people in on their daily goings-on. Facebook has removed the need to call people on the phone and wish them a Happy Birthday, to mail people pictures of our kids, or to show up at people's houses to tell them about promotions or engagements. Facebook lets us do it all at the click of a button. Now, there isn't anything inherently wrong with this. But some people go a step too far by boasting of every fancy restaurant they go to and every vacation trip they go on. Why must people post such pics in real time and not just wait until they're back home to do so? Sometimes this screams "Haha...I'm here and you're not. Sucks for you." I think some people do this to overcompensate for something lacking in their lives. Some also try to paint a rosier pic...