I was disappointed that Michelle Hipps decided to utilize her column in Tuesday's edition of the Alligator to chide an entire category of Facebook users who participated in creating a "25 things about me" list, claiming that the act is egotistical and selfish.
Her rationalization is that those people are craving attention and ways to make themselves appear more interesting. She asserts that the "45 minutes" each person spent writing his or her list could have been put to better use by such things as volunteering or writing letters thanking our firefighters. However, I have to wonder how much time and effort she spent on writing that very uninspiring - not to mention insulting - column. Two, three hours? Maybe more?
To be fair, I'm sure she was giving out blankets to the homeless while typing with her other hand.
The "25 things about me" lists are meant to be entertainment, and I think she missed that point entirely. I learned some new things about my friends that probably wouldn't have come up in typical conversations. I reminisced with old coworkers about some of the silly habits they listed. My friends weren't being conceited; they were being real.
Maybe Michelle should try writing her own list and see how it fares out in Facebook land. Or perhaps she just doesn't have 25 interesting things to say about herself.
Either way, she shouldn't fault the rest of us for taking part in a lighthearted and harmless survey between friends.
