Reflections about this from Salon and Slate.  So, Salon has a reflection that’s heartfelt and earnest and good, while Slate’s trying to figure out how it all works (if you know, e-mail them!).  Anyways, the Salon piece is nice and makes me less annoyed that people keep asking me to talk about myself in random ways, which up to now I had been told was what made me not keep these friends in the first place.  Here’s a bit:

And sure, there were the utterly ridiculous lists that wasted my time as well, and dozens that simply made me laugh. But even the most mundane entries tended to contain a few gems, minimalist narratives I could attach to the blur of faces I’d accumulated in this often paradoxically antisocial networking world we call Facebook.

That’s the thing about “25 Random Things About Me”: Once you stop being annoyed you realize that, at its best, it’s one of the more compelling — and, yes, even oddly inspiring — wastes of time to hit the Web in years. And let’s cut to the chase. Should we really be complaining about the inanity of this new trend? We’re a nation entertained by lolcats.

So, accuse me of oversharing. Say I’m adding to the problem. But I’ve decided to stop sneering at those who’ve taken the time to share something about their lives. In fact, I’ve decided to post a list of my own. I didn’t join Facebook, after all, to be anonymous, incurious or left alone.