The danger of browsing networks

Facebook lets you browse through your friend’s connections in order to facilitate more connections your network. The logic seems sound — if your friend knows someone, the odds are good that you know them, too.

Well, sometimes the people you know in common aren’t connections that you want to share. For example, browsing through my brother’s Facebook network, I discovered that he was connected to my ex-husband. We’ve been divorced for over ten years, so I wasn’t expecting to see him in my brother’s list. It was a jolt I had no way of preparing for.

Over and over again, I find that social media throws you together with everyone you’ve ever known, regardless of the context that you may have known them. This can be interesting in some cases, or it can be very, very awkward.

This week, I’m struggling with the awkward side of social media. If you are too, please share — we could all use some social media therapy.