For some, the immediate response was panic, near terror. Hearts and minds began to race at the possible implications as millions scrambled to try and reach loved ones. Were they okay? Were they victims of the isolation, too? It is Halloween time – and well, for some, would their most horrifying nightmare come to life? The Walking Dead premiere was not nearly as terrifying as being cut off from…Facebook.
That’s right. Although back up to 100%, today’s partial outage lasted for several hours. Frantic users reached out heavily on Twitter to try and make “human” connection and to air their dismay and thoughts.
The hashtags #fbdown and #facebooknotworking offered a plethora of witty, funny and telling quips about the issue. Here are a few of my favorites:
#fbdown Facebook went down. #gop calls to have entire system trashed a started over.
— ClassicalProgressive (@ProgressEconomy) October 21, 2013
Dammit! Strangers on Twitter just don’t get me like all of my high school friends on Facebook that I haven’t seen in twenty years. #FBDown
— Ami Schreiber (@shribr) October 21, 2013
In a few more minutes Facebook users will be roaming the streets bawling in tears screaming, “DO YOU LIKE THIS PHOTO!!! DO YOU??!!!” #fbdown
— Divian Nair (@Diviannair) October 21, 2013
I hope somewhere someone had people hooked up to some kind of monitor to collect data about this. It’s important stuff! The emotional and physical reactions people are having is like a giant lab experiment to collect data regarding our physiological and psychological responses to Facebook. Well it’s not really about Facebook. It is about our need for connections, relationships and community. Those are fundamental human needs.
@vishnuprasad108 had a simple solution:
#fbdown @parthesh_99 I think this should happen, let the chats be at saloons, parks and roads.
— Vishnuprasad (@vishnuprasad108) October 21, 2013
I want you to think for just a moment of the possible apocalyptic event of Facebook being unavailable. Ever. Again. Ever. At the mere idea, your heart is pounding faster. Your hands are getting clammy. Your thoughts become scattered.
But calm down. I have a solution to this possible emergency. The following is an easy to use step-by-step plan to help you deal with this emotionally charged crisis.
1. Put on a smiley face and “chat” with your neighbor.
2. Call your real “friends” and look through an old photo album.
3. Give a “thumbs up” to your co-worker or family member.
4. Share your favorite music with your kids, your nieces and nephews or someone at the office.
5. Call the person that you post all of your passive aggressive cryptic messages about.
6. Look them in the eyes.
7. Tell them how you feel.
I know some of you think that this is just another formula for more crises. You’re not who I am talking to. You can just go ahead and be swallowed by the isolation.
But for others, I can hear your heart rate coming down. So just stay calm. If it happens again, follow the plan. Everything’s going to be alright….
Cover Photo Source: Jonah_H
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]http://testspace.thesanjosegroup.com//wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Photo-on-12-14-12-at-2.39-PM-2.jpg[/author_image] [author_info] Jennifer is Director of Content & Ideation at SJG. I am convinced that every human being is innately creative – Picasso said the key is to remain childlike within the body of a responsible adult, or something along those lines. As the oldest member of this opinionated clan, I feel responsible to share a different perspective. Engage me – I love a good debate! [/author_info] [/author]