Stay Young, Facebook!

The night after a rad party with your friends you upload the photos to Facebook, harmlessly. However, your aunt happens to come across these photos and begins commenting on them. Suddenly, by the end of the day your parents know all about the party, and the pictures you uploaded on Facebook. Thanks auntie!

As social networking sites such as Facebook become more popular by the minute, generations begin to cross lines that should not be crossed. So where then, shall we draw the line? Should we accept a friend request from aunts and uncles, parents, second cousins, grandparents? Personally, I would not accept a friend request from anyone who is not in my generation or anyone who may relay some information I have on Facebook to my parents.

While most ‘older' people on Facebook just want to stay hip, and remain involved in the lives of younger generations, they are really just creating more issues. There are just some things that parents, aunts and uncles, etc. should not know about their children and their friends.

Older generations on Facebook is not necessarily ‘uncool,' it is just down right awkward. Even if you do not care if your parents are friends with you because they know it all already, the lingo between generations is not the same. Therefore, it may take more time for each of you to decipher what one another is saying, than just calling them on the phone. You might also find yourself resorting back to second grade context clues in the decipher process; lame!

I used to think that my aunts would be mad at me for deleting them, but recently I decided that I just do not care what they think. By not deleting them I am sending the message that it is okay to interfere with the lives of generation Y. Therefore, so long baby boomers!

If older generations insist on joining Facebook, it would be more appropriate for them to form a separate group of friends where everyone is in their generation.

Forget trying to hide anything about yourself from your family when you accept friend requests from family members outside of your generational cohort. Remember that Facebook was created by college students, for college students. Facebook has now evolved into a site where children and seniors regularly spend their free time. Stay young Facebook!