To be fed up with the "we are having a considerably better summer than yaou" that goes on on Facebook?

[Puzzledconfusedandbewildered]

I know the answer is to delete Facebook but it's like a car accident I can't turn away from.

All summer it's been like one long competition of who can do the most fun things with their children and who can squeeze in the most days out. It's like I'm stuck in one of those sickening mummy blogs and can't find an exit to run away screaming from it all. So I await you all telling me IABU even though my tongue is firmly in my cheek about it all

[DiegeticMuch]

You need different mates!

[witsender]

You do indeed!

[gleam]

Just lie.

[Oysterbabe]

Why do you assume it's a competition rather than them doing fun things because it's, you know, fun.

[Lottapianos]

It's like this all year long. Christmas, Valentine's, Easter, exam results, summer holidays, the list goes on. I hide the stuff that gets in my nerves and enjoy the rest of it. And take all the bragging with a massive bucket of salt

[ilovesooty]

Hide and block then.

[Gardencentregroupie]

YABU. I post the fun things I do on Facebook. Nobody wants to read about the days I spend wiping the toddler's nose chin and bum because she has a cold, is teething and has diarrhoea all at once. People put nice things on fb. Either try harder to have family fun or try harder to be happy for your friends or give up on Facebook.

[allthecarbs]

I'm too much of a loner to know people like that

You're safe here op. We've been on one big trip away, everything else has been in the garden or local play areas. We've loved it though!

[Onedaftmonkey]

Facebook is just a pissing contest. That one snapshot of one moment in their day doesn't necessarily mean that the other moments are as pleasant. They're probably spending it shouting at the kids trying to stop each other killing themselves.
Facebook mah load of bollocks.

[Feckinlego]

Just don't join in. I rarely put stuff up but I don't think people notice, they're not thinking 'feckin hasn't posted any trips her poor kids '. We went for a day trip earlier this week which cost a fortune , brother asked me why I bothered if nobody knew about it

[CotswoldStrife]

As Oyster said, it's not a competition - it's a snapshot of their life. No need to get competitive or defensive, you can just scroll on by.

I love seeing what others are doing, gives me ideas.

[HesMyLobster]

I don't understand why people see it as a competition.
I just see it as sharing lovely places/fun times/happy memories and I love seeing what my friends and family are doing.
Same with Christmas, holidays and birthday parties. We do things we like because it's fun and makes us happy. We share pictures because the majority of our friends and family also like to see us having fun and being happy.
It's kind of the point of social media isn't it?
If it makes you feel competitive then I think the problem might be with you, not your friends.

[PrettyBotanicals]

They're only having a better summer if you genuinely believe that's true.

Has yours been really shit?

I don't post guff like that; think of it as rather vulgar and let all your mates imagine that you're having such a great time you would just be showing off if you posted pictures.

[miserablesod]

My mate kind of summed it up the other night. She posts non-stop pictures/updates about her fab life/days out/holidays/relationship etc.

However, when she whatsapped me for advice she said "it may look like i have the perfect life but in reality it couldn't be further from the truth". I won't post about the shit time she is having because she may be on here but facebook really does not show the true picture of peoples lives.

[Pollyanna9]

Ha, they're saying on FB "Oh we sat on the beach in Cornwall and watched the shooting stars it was absolutely amazing!" - yeah, and probably her and hubby her had a massive row right after posting followed by both kids projectile vomiting up their pasties on the promenade - it's a snapshot of one moment and it probably doesn't tell the whole story anyway!!

Do you know what I hate? It's the same kind of thing at work. You can GUARANTEE on a Friday you get numerous people saying "What are you doing at the weekend?". First of all I think, what's it to you mate? I'm always tempted to say "Well, Saturday morning I'm scuba diving, abseiling in the afternoon; Sunday I've got a 10k charity run first thing then I'm giving the homeless their Sunday lunch". Ha ha!!!

[Pollyanna9]

What miserablesod said!

[bumpetybumpbumpbump]

I'm with you OP. I will never ever get the reason why people over share on Facebook. Particularly pictures of their semi -naked children when they have hundreds and hundreds of friends. Who values privacy these days?

Something to do with dopamine response when you share things.

-My advice would be hide them, you will soon forget you have hidden them

-don't get sucked in and over share as this will heighten your feelings of inadequacy

-limit yourself to checking Facebook once a day maximum

-remind yourself over and over that these people have real lives too and those that over share are either insecure or narcissistic

-nurture your real life friendships. None of my best friends even have Facebook

-enjoy your life and work with what you've got!

[myownprivateidaho]

I'm always confused about these posts, because I don't feel like I have any boasters on my fb. Maybe I'm lucky, but I think it's more likely that I don't assume that everyone who uploads their holiday snaps in Bali is doing it to make me feel bad. Not having a go, but do you think that the competitiveness might be in your head? Or even if it isn't, you know you can choose not to participate?

[GinAndPhonics82]

I may have to dig out my Harry Enfield and Chums videos now!
Seriously though, there's always going to be people pretending to have a good time. The ones who genuinely are, are usually too busy to be posting on FB about it all.

[myownprivateidaho]

You can GUARANTEE on a Friday you get numerous people saying "What are you doing at the weekend?".

It would NEVER occur to me that someone asking me on a Friday what I'm doing it at the weekend was doing so in order to have a go about my life. Surely it's just standard chitchat?

[Beardsareweird]

I have a FB friend who is constantly on holiday in variuos destinations around the world. Every minute detail was documented- arriving at the airport, fun on the plane, breakfast at the exclusive hotel, etc ect I have jept him as a friend but have removed him from my news feed. Easy!

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es]

It's a fine line, for the most part I like seeing what others have been up to, and I have been to a few places that I wouldn't have known about otherwise. But I did unfollow a friend this week after having to read relentless (almost daily) posts for the third summer running of how many amazing experiences she and her DC have been having.

[AGirlCalledJohnny]

I only post fun stuff too, and I love seeing what my friends and family are up to. I am an expat though, so it's really just a great (non-Skype which I hate) way of keeping up with everyone, seeing their kids grow, know a little about them. I'm not really an envious person though, I don't really give a shit if they can afford to swan about on a yacht or rent an island - metaphorically speaking . Good for them. If I want to do it, I try to find a way to do it myself or roll with what I do have.

[TheCountessofFitzdotterel]

I mostly don't mind this stuff but there are one or two people who seem to spin it in a particularly annoying way. Just use the unfollow button.

[Sallystyle]

People are so fucking weird about FB.

If you think it's a pissing contest or competitive then that says a lot about you.

My mind doesn't work that way. I don't look at my friend's photos of their day's out and think they are being competitive, or showing off. They are just sharing photos because it is what FB is for.

If you think people are posting photos to show they are having a 'considerably better summer than you' then you either need to look at your friends or look at yourself.