Thursday, April 04, 2013

Dragged Into Social Media

My kids have forced me to enter the 21st century with social media.
I check my Facebook most days and post on there at least once a week now. And last week I set up an Instagram account. Joining each community can be laid at the feet of my children's travel and  independence.
I joined Facebook in August 2010 as Grace journeyed 10 hours away to college. I wanted to be able to keep up with her posts and her friends. I still wanted to keep an eye on her.
Luckily, she didn't mind adding me as her friend.
Slowly I've added friends and when I got my iPhone, I found it easy to check Facebook, like other people's posts, and add my own "status updates."
My middle child doesn't have a Facebook page, and my youngest wouldn't add me as a friend, but he isn't active on Facebook any more. Now he's all over Instagram.
As he prepared to leave for a trip to France, I realized that if I wanted to see his pictures, I'd need to follow him on Instagram.
To me, the worst part about setting up an account for Instagram or Twitter or even Words With Friends, is choosing a user name. I know I'm going to be stuck with this name forever. Should I choose my name? Something I like -- writing, running, mochas? I avoided all "mom" names.
Tucker begrudgingly added me as a friend on Instagram and has posted sparsely this week from his trip abroad. Heer's on that he tagged: "Average night on the Eiffel Tower." And I note how "miserable" he looks surrounded by high school girls.
I have a couple of people following me on Instagram, but I haven't posted anything and don't know when I will.
For now though, I'm on Instagram and Facebook getting hints into the secret lives of my teenagers.

6 comments:

Ali said...

I've loved Facebook for keeping up with old and new friends for a while now, but it's taken years for me to get around to making a page for my blog. I'm looking forward to connecting with readers and other bloggers there--it does feel a little like two worlds colliding, though.

I just recently joined Instagram, too (partly inspired by my kids, like you), and after a few days of being mystified by it, I'm really enjoying it.

Anne in Oxfordshire said...

I am not on Instagram .. just another thing for me to learn :-) .. My youngest son is on Facebook and will not add me ,, and my eldest son will not go on facebook, his wife is, after a protest from my son .. he cannot stand it... mind you my boys are a lot older than yours .. and have family of their own .. !

Sally Tharpe Rowles said...

Your son looks like he is having a great time! What a great way to know your child is happy & dioing well.

Leave it to our children or in my case grandchildren to bring us into the modern age. My granddaughter helped me sign up for Instagram & now I can follow her & see her & her friends growing up in a way I would not have had other wise.

Just Me said...

Despite my whining and all of it's headaches, today's technology is pretty darn amazing.

You bloggers were instagramming before instagramming was cool. I'm always looking forward to your next picture and story.



Sim Carter said...

I have a FB account and I used to be all over it - but I've cut way down on my comments and posts because one could spend an entire lifetime liking other people's pictures and sharing posts. And I don't even have a Facebook page for my blog - I'm embarrassed for people who actually know me to see what I've been up to rather than working. My Puritan work ethic at work! I haven't got a clue how to use Instagram at all. I know my son doesn't use it but then he barely goes on Facebook either. What a funny old world.

Anonymous said...

LOL! I heard on the radio yesterday (yes, still listening to the radio, while driving that is) that today's kids think Facebook is not cool anymore, why? because their parents are using it now. ;)

Cockadoodle Doo or Cocorico?

 We stood in the middle of the road, having walked together 13 miles that day and Claudine grasped my forearm. "Mais non! It doesn'...