[nradov]

I don't need to know, but I want to know. Social media interactions doesn't cause me any stress or anxiety: rather the opposite. Most of us don't have problems with substance abuse or negative social media engagement. You shouldn't generalize from your own very limited experience or presume to give advice about things you don't understand.

[lumb63]

Does this desire to want to know things about people you no longer associate with, not strike you as strange? There is no actual communication here - on one end, there is someone who either has no group of people whom they feel care about their update, so they “share” it with everyone; or, they are so conceited as to think everyone on the entire internet cares. On the other end is someone who does not know what they want updates about, but knows that they want updates from some set of people (but does not want the updates enough to actually talk to those people). This mode of “communication” has for a long time struck me as very strange.

[jameshart]

Back in the previous century, people used to do things like post birth and wedding announcements in the local paper. If you had moved away it would not be unheard of for you to be sent a clipping of such a thing by a grandparent letting you know about an old schoolfriend or teacher or neighbor. Keeping in touch with the ongoing life trajectory of people you once knew has long been something people liked to do.

[bluGill]

I still associate with these people. I go to my high school reunion every 5-10 years. sometimes I go back home and run into them on the streets (not often but it happens). Because I see their pictures I recognize them - when you have not seem someone for 30 years you won't recognize them in person when you go to renew that connection, but if you see pictures you can talk to an old friend who life has drifted you part from. (as opposed to talking to a different group of friends and both of you leave wondering why the other didn't even show up as you were hoping to reminisce about something with them)

[RiverCrochet]

It strikes me as strange too. I understand wanting to believe your life is so important that you think the world at large needs to know, but the converse - truly desiring to be the receiving end of those announcements particularly of people you don't know very well - I cannot wrap my head around.

[nradov]

No, it strikes me as being completely normal.