Why Women in their 40's Love Facebook (or, "Why So Many in Their Teens and Twenties Are Ticked to Have Their Moms On Their Social Networking Site")

In 2009, at the urging of a member of my grad school cohort, I joined Facebook. On my profile it says that I joined, "...to make my daughters laugh, and hope they will be my friend." Suffice it to say, my daughters did not laugh. They groaned. They complained. It was like having them back in the house as teenagers. My eldest, a UVA alum, once again went on and on about how Facebook originally was just Harvard and then expanded to UVA - like there is some sort of right of primogentiture to being able to network on Face book. I was invading their lives and privacy, apparently, through participating in an online forum.

Since joining Facebook, however, I have discovered advantages far beyond what I originally expected. Since I am a woman in my 40's, and in my conversations with my peers who are on Facebook we all seem to have similar motivations, I have some ideas about why women in their 40's like Facebook. In a non-prioritized list, here they are!

1) I have connected with family members who live in a vast array of locations. I find out what is happening with their families, learn interesting things about their lives, share some of their fun, and feel I know them a little better. For someone with 37 first cousins (plus their spouses and children), this is a godsend!

2)I have connected with friends from high school, college, and prior work environments. Like in #1 above, I find out where they are, what they are doing, etc. This is useful in all sorts of networking, and helps me in reclaiming my past.

3) I enjoy some of the little quizes and other funny things you can do on Facebook. So, it serves as a source of entertainment.

4) I am able to open, contribute to, or maintain a dialogue on a variety of issues with interesting people (i.e., my "Friends") and enjoy the connectedness and intellectual stimulation.

5) Comments from my "Friends" often make me laugh, and often give me support. Believe it or not, I thrive on the words of encouragement and affirmation I get. I know that they are sincere and they can really make my day.

So, kids, ease up on your moms (and grandparents, aunts & uncles, former teachers and much youger siblings)! As part of this web-based community, we are all attempting to reach out to each other - including you! Our true purpose on this earth is relationship and resulting good from these relationships. Facebook merely give us another venue to achieve this purpose.