It's all the rage. Writing 25 random things about yourself on Facebook. As if the world didn't know enough about us through our Facebook profiles and consistently updated photos and statuses, it has become a popular pastime to write 25 more pieces of information that the Facebook world (meaning most of us) might not know about us and publish it for all to see.
It seems that we desire to let everyone know what we are doing, with whom we are doing it and why. We upload photos to the Internet so everyone is aware that we, in fact, have interesting lives. We update our statuses regularly so people can find out what our activities or concerns of the day are. We list our favorite movies, books, TV shows and interests and, to top it off, by filling out an "About me" section in our Facebook profiles. We're a bunch of narcissists.
I haven't written 25 facts about myself (I know you were all wondering), though I have read quite a few that were humorous and interesting to read. Call me old-fashioned, but I'd rather find out more about my family and friends through personal conversation or correspondence. I have enjoyed finding out things like that my friend Alli doesn't like it when people use "LOL" and "JK" in conversation and that my friend Bridget believes herself to be one of the most sports-informed women in the world (second only to Erin Andrews). However, most things I already knew or would have preferred to learn on my own.
More than double the amount of notes ever written in Facebook history were created by Facebook users during the week of Jan. 26 through Feb. 2. Nearly 5 million notes were posted, as reported by Facebook. Apparently, our generation is bold in feeding the fire of reasons why we are called, "Generation Me." We take the time to think more about ourselves and assume that people will want to know everything about "me."
I'm not exempting myself from earning my title as a "Generation Me" member, but it caused me to challenge myself to come up with a list of 25 random things I could do for someone else.
Sadly, it was challenging for me to come up with 25. Anyway, here it is. Come up with your own or steal one of mine, but I think we'd all be a little better if we would step away from our keyboards and invest some time in developing ourselves rather than writing about ourselves. Maybe we can give up those hours of updating our profiles and make someone else's day.
1. Participate in a student organization that serves a greater good
2. Serve at a local meal program or other center that needs volunteers
3. Give a grandparent a call
4. Send a card or letter to a loved one
5. Cook dinner for our roommates
6. Plan a birthday celebration for a parent
7. Call a friend who's under stress and let them vent
8. Take a sibling out for coffee to hear about their life
9. Organize a collection of items needed for donation
10. Play basketball with a younger brother
11. Go home and cook for our parents
12. Do laundry for a friend who hasn't found the time lately
13. Buy a friend their favorite snack food during study time
14. Make a CD for someone having a bad week
15. Visit a grandparent or an elderly relative in a nursing home
16. Go through closets and drawers and give away items that haven't been used
17. Babysit for free
18. Give a friend a backrub after a difficult exam
19. Let a professor know how their class has affected us positively
20. Tell an aunt or uncle why you admire them
21. Ask a stranger on the bus how their day is going
22. Buy a classmate a coffee in the morning
23. Get a group together to discuss solutions to an injustice.
24. Call a friend we've lost touch with
25. Join a local group seeking to improve the community