To Be fair this is a bit of a rant; you’ve been warned!
The majority of us use Facebook; we all know what Facebook is, even those who don’t use it.
Facebook is the largest social networking site in the world.
We all use Facebook for our own reasons; for me it is a life line to families just like mine, and obviously, it is highly entertaining on a wet Irish morning with a cup of coffee in hand as the toddler takes his nap.
I love Facebook.
Lately Facebook have this new thing that pops up onto your feed, “On This Day”
Isn’t it lovely?
Honestly; I clicked on it; one of my friends had posted an old photo from 6 years ago; and underneath that picture were the words ‘See your memories’. I did want to see my memories; I knew what that meant.
Up popped memories that I was not really ready to see; memories from years ago. (my fault for clicking on it knowingly)
I take photos and videos all the time. I take so many that I really must upgrade my ‘Dropbox’ as I have run out of storage.
I know my videos and pictures are stored safely away for when I am ready to view them. Especially older photos and videos of Ethan.
I didn’t think it through when I clicked that button…and I paid the price for it. I cried as I hit play on the video, a 40 second video, of Ethan singing , taken five years ago.
Why did I hit play? I wanted to see what it was, I had no idea it was Ethan doing something he has not done in over three years; another reminder of what Hunter Syndrome does- takes away abilities; all abilities.
I cried again as I looked at my now Ethan, sitting quietly staring at the TV.
Immediately I tried to undo my ‘On This Day’ app.
There is no ‘undo’.
It’s not like ‘Time-Hop’; once I got the idea of that app, I controlled it.
Some of the memories make me laugh, smile and I enjoy them; but the difference is; with ‘Time-Hop’ it is my decsion to click it, with ‘On This Day’ – it’s forced upon me. It now randomly shows up on my newsfeed, without my consent; (well, all because I clicked that first ‘See your memories’) showing me my past pictures trying to entice me back into clicking…
Facebook now happily offers me my memories every day…
I have my memories, I try my best to live in the here and now, my memories are mine, mine to look at whenever I choose to or whenever I am brave enough to look through them.
I know I am not alone with my annoyance with this app; another dear friend of mine private messaged me and told me her story with that app and how she cried and cried after she saw pictures of her beautiful little boy (who also has Hunter Syndrome ) years previously flash up on her phone…she was not ready to face his decline on that particular day at that particular time.
I have gone into the app and turned off notifications; which has reduced it from appearing on my newsfeed…
It reminds me of that time U2 put their album on my IPAD … it took me ages to figure out how to delete that …but I managed it! I’m just not able to see how to delete ‘On This Day’ app but I will… unless any of you kind folks know how to, please enlighten me?!