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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2009
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 OPINION 
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Status Update: Everyone Else's Life Is More Exciting

Writer bemoans the constant barrage of jealousy from Facebook

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(Newser) – Remember those holiday letters, the ones informing you of all the exciting things your friends did while you sat at home? Facebook brings you that jealousy 24/7, writes Patricia Beauchamp in the Washington Post. While she’s “wondering how much she could get for a box of gaucho pants on eBay,” her friends are skydiving, closing deals with ABC, and “packing for a trip to the international space station.”

Nowadays, we don’t have to wait until the next high school reunion to see just how much better off all our friends are. “We have access to our friends' photos, videos, and correspondence—most everything but their tax returns.” It’s enough to make you consider “plagiarizing other people's Facebook updates so your life won't seem so pathetic—which is, sadly, even more pathetic.”

"Facebook, with the click of the 'refresh' button, indulges my little green-eyed monster 24 hours a day," writes Patricia Beauchamp in the Washington Post. Facebook on Palm allows even more immediacy.   (Photo: Business Wire)
The grass may be greener on the other side of the fence, but
The grass may be greener on the other side of the fence, but "Facebook has added a new level of voyeurism to surveying your neighbor's yard," writes Patricia Beauchamp in the Washington Post.   (AP Photo)
Social networking sites like Facebook have
Social networking sites like Facebook have "greatly increased opportunities to interact with friends and strangers online -- and to envy them," writes Patricia Beauchamp in the Washington Post.   (Getty Images)
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During the presidential campaign, I confess that I found myself putting more thought into my status updates than deciding whom to vote for. - Patricia Beauchamp

Sometimes, sharing the truth with my Facebook friends is about as appealing as the thought of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad serving as the grand marshal of a gay pride parade. - Patricia Beauchamp

It reminds me of junior high when the popular kids showed up on Monday talking about the crazy, fun things they did over the weekend and I'd spent the previous two days mistakenly thinking that fractals were cool. - Patricia Beauchamp

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