MySpace and Facebook threaten my snobbish way of life

I don't like people. I don't like talking to people. I don't like listening to people. I don't like reading people's misspelled ramblings about their lives. I don't like pretending to care about what they're talking about. This is because I am a snob. I do not think that I am too good for other people. That would be elitist. I just think that other people aren't good enough for me. There is a difference.

This is a simple philosophy that is easy to put into practice. You just don't associate with people that you don't like - don't go to the places that these people frequent, don't answer their calls, don't mix with the same crowds. These tips are real time-savers. This philosophy has served me well for 25 years. Unfortunately, my snobbish way of life now faces a two-pronged threat: MySpace and Facebook.


MySpace and Facebook are social networking sites. They have been designed to allow people to interact and share ideas, photos, links, videos etc. This sounds great, and both sites are extremely popular. I have set up MySpace and Facebook accounts with the intention of recruiting Greek-Australian bilinguals for my research. But now something unexpected is occurring.

People who I used to know are contacting me. Some want to add me as their friend, while others just want to have a chat. This is usually fine. If the person is someone I went to school with, or worked with, we usually exchange hellos and niceties. Perhaps every now and then we catch up - it's kind of nice (but not essential). But what about people who I don't like? What do I do when people who I don't like, people who I despise, people who blow goats try to contact me or try to add me as their friend? What should I do? Is there an established MySpace or Facebook etiquette guide?


My gut reaction is to ignore them and their friend request. If I saw these people on the street I wouldn't hesitate, not for a second, as I passed them by. What should I do with their friend request? I usually do ignore them. But some people are persistent. They try again and again. What do you do then? Do you tell them to fuck off or do you add them to your friend list? Social networking sites are turning snobbery into very hard work. Not answering your phone is easy - it goes away quickly. Invites and messages are less transient. Friend requests trigger messages, and emails, and reminder emails, and so on.

Of course, in the case of ex-girlfriends/boyfriends, the choice is clear: Deny. But what about when the choice is less clear? My solution is to create this blog post and to place a link to it on my Facebook and MySpace profile. Maybe people will find it on their own, read it and take the hint.