I think of it every time i see someone post this on Facebook:
Post this on your timeline and invite people to tell you what they like (or dislike) about you.
Ok, now, really?
This is either fishing for compliments/attention or an invitation to have someone insult you.
Or this one: “put this on your timeline and see what people love the most about you.”
And usually, you’ve never even met the people responding. They know you only by your online presence.
Of course, hardly anyone says anything insulting on these posts or the poster’s friends would be all over them online.
But I just don’t like these “fishing” posts.
Back in the day, classmates circulated a slam book in which a question was asked and kids each took a turn responding. It was never a question about the atom bomb. Or civl rights. It was always personal. Usually the question was “What do you like about (name)?” or something like that.
And kids didn’t hold back. They gave their opinion and it was often class-mate bashing. Those comments could be mean.
As a kid, I never liked seeing a slam book circulate. Of course, I didn’t want to read kids negative comments about me. But also, I had no interest in slamming anyone, myself.
When I see these posts online, I’m reminded of the old slam book and it makes uncomfortable.
I am of the belief that what people think about you is none of your business.
Why would you want to know?
And surely you can’t be that desperate for random strangers to compliment you. Surely not.
Just another one of those things about life today that puzzles me.
One thing I DO know is that people who are working hard to heal appreciate our lovely healing tools. See them HERE.
Yes and Yes! I never suffered slam books in school (how awful!), but I hate these fishing posts, even the ones disguised as virtuous or supportive (if you have a friend who is suffering from… copy/paste). I scroll quickly by all of them, and I was pretty damned sure I wasn’t the only one.
One more reason to avoid Facebook and social media generally, but for business reasons can’t, and I reluctantly have an online presence because I want to see what my kids are doing. Like Donna said above, a waste of time.
I have never heard of a slam book. In Mean Girls (original) they had a Burn Book and even that, I never heard of while going through high school. Perhaps I just wasn’t in the know?? LOL
[…] Many things about life today puzzles Carol Cassara, and this week, she reminisces in her blog about a particularly odd artifact of her youth — the “Slam Book” and compares it to some of what we see on social media. Read about it in The Slam Book of Today. […]
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Yes and Yes! I never suffered slam books in school (how awful!), but I hate these fishing posts, even the ones disguised as virtuous or supportive (if you have a friend who is suffering from… copy/paste). I scroll quickly by all of them, and I was pretty damned sure I wasn’t the only one.
Oh yeah, can not even respond.
Yes, Facebook brings out craziness in people. My least favorite is someone who alludes to something negative but never comes out and says what it is,
Oh yes, “vague-booking.” I’ve seen it.
Waste of time.
I so agree, Donna.
One more reason to avoid Facebook and social media generally, but for business reasons can’t, and I reluctantly have an online presence because I want to see what my kids are doing. Like Donna said above, a waste of time.
I have never heard of a slam book. In Mean Girls (original) they had a Burn Book and even that, I never heard of while going through high school. Perhaps I just wasn’t in the know?? LOL
I wonder if that term is regional.