I open the Facebook tab on my phone, for the first time that day, and see a notification. My friend, or a relative, or my favorite band has posted a story. Facebook encourages me to check it out before it’s gone! But, it’s already gone! What did I miss this time?
The move towards temporary posts began with Snapchat. Post your picture and then it goes away, once viewed. Then Facebook and Instagram followed suit. I suspect the companies simply wanted to reduce the amount of data saved on their servers, but whatever the reason, many people welcomed the new options.
Am I the only one who doesn’t understand this? I like having snapshots of my life preserved. Sometimes there’s a question of, “When did that happen?” and I can find the answer on my FB timeline. I enjoy the “X years ago, this happened” reminders that pop up on my feed. There are sweet moments of times with my kids or pets, funny quotes I’d forgotten, and sometimes moments that stir sadness or remind me of dark days. Even those I appreciate, because I’ve grown through the good and the bad.
I must admit, at those moments that I realize a story has already disappeared, I experience a bit of FOMO (fear of missing out). What was that post that I didn’t get to see? There’s a piece of the puzzle that I don’t have. Will it come up in conversation and have to be explained to me?
All of that leads to a question. If you post something for others to see, why make it so that some people will not get to see it at all?
Which camp are you in? Are you a story poster or do you stick to ones that are saved? What are the reasons for your choice?
- Photo by Magda Smolen on Unsplash
Heated and Hammered 