The Great Pretenders
Facebook began many years ago and while I did not jump on the bandwagon at the very start, I did find my way there and found many wonderful friends from the past to reconnect with. It quickly became part of my routine. Get up in the morning, check Facebook and see what was going on. It was the adult equivalent of hanging out on the corner.
As its popularity grew so did its quest for revenue. I can’t speak for everyone, but my feed became plagued with advertisements. It morphed into (or more aptly became accompanied by) political posts – and not by anyone I knew. Just pot stirrers who would post something to get a reaction. And they did. The posts went for years inciting conversation and ultimately bad feelings. Then came the police; self-appointed Guardians of Truth as I affectionately named them who take the time to point out what are and are not FACTS, lest I should be unable to do that for myself.
COVID has just contributed to this stream exponentially. Now we have to concern ourselves with lockdowns, testing, outbreaks and shortages of consumables. There’s a lot going on and even more going wrong in the world. Facebook wants to try to keep up with it all. My problem is this: They don’t.
This morning (and this is just my most recent example) I received an Instant Message from someone I accepted a friend request from a while ago seeing that she had attended the same high school and had many of the same friends. Maybe so. Either the entire account was fraud or the account was hacked. Either way, I have received this and began an exchange with this person. It reads as follows:
Mary Murphy
You’re friends on Facebook
Lives in Modena, New York
Went to St. Nicholas of Tolentine HS Bronx, NY
7:54 AM
Mary sent Today at 7:54 AM
Hello
Mary sent Today at 7:54 AM
How are you doing?
You sent Today at 7:55 AM
Great. How are you?
Mary sent Today at 7:57 AM
I’m doing wonderfully great, Have you heard anything about the compensating COVID-19 Grant Award that was announced on the Fox News recently?
You sent Today at 7:58 AM
Don’t watch Fox or any other news. I have too much going on. Sorry
Mary sent Today at 8:00 AM
It’s all about the Department of Health & Human Services program that gives out funds Consideration especially in this time of the virus crisis to help people maintain good standard of living,have you they contacted you yet?
You sent Today at 8:01 AM
No. Did someone tell you that I would be a person who would know about this? I’m not understanding your contacting me about this.
Mary sent Today at 8:03 AM
I was so happy I got $50,000 from the program delivered to me by the FedEx attorney general company when I applied for the program. You don’t have to pay the money back….I think you should contact their claiming agent now before the program closed., Do you know how to do that?
You sent Today at 8:06 AM
Give it a rest. Try to have a nice day and don’t concern yourself with delivering this information to me.
Mary sent Today at 8:10 AM
Don’t you want to contact the agents?
You sent Today at 8:11 AM
I have a question for you….Who were your teachers at SNT?
You sent Today at 8:16 AM
Still waiting…..
Not one name, not one iota of verification of who this person is claiming to be….because he/she cannot.
We have now reached the portion of the program where the 70’s movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers is being recreated via Facebook profiles.
I wanted very much to stay in contact with friends – maybe even meet new friends. But not this. Not this nonsense of being contacted by people pretending to be someone else trying to obtain information from me by getting me to call, contact or apply for something. Facebook can track facts but not real people? I believe they can – but they don’t want to.
People willingly believe what they wish. They also do what they want. Facebook wants to control public opinion but not its own environment to protect users from those that prey upon others to scam them.
As much as I hate it – I’ve reached my limit. Like anything else, it was good while it lasted but the party is over for me.
To those people who actually exist; I have thoroughly enjoyed keeping up with your lives, your new additions to your families, pictures of your vacations, etc. But it’s time for me to sign off.
I congratulate both Facebook on making more money than they ever deserved AND those suffering with such low self esteem that are no longer able to conduct their own lives, thus they masquerade as others. “I have seen enough to know I have seen too much!”
