That Thing When You Bump Into Someone You Secretly Follow On Facebook

friendship, facebook, social media, socially awkward, jen schlumberger, jen warman, comedy, real life situations

If you have Facebook and you also leave your house from time-to-time, there is a good chance you've found yourself in this situation:

You're on your way to work, the mall, your gynecologist appointment, and you bump into Emily. A friend from high-school who you haven't seen in years. You excitedly say hello, and ask her "How are you doing?" But you instantly realize, you know exactly how she is doing.

Emily is a physiotherapist who just opened her own clinic. She has two kids (James and Mia.) James has a nut allergy, and Mia is a competitive gymnast. They just got back from a family trip to Mexico, and you absolutely love the new shoes Emily bought last week.

Uh-oh. Now what? What does one do with this information? Do you pretend not to know anything?

"Oh, you have children? How many?"

Or do you admit to being aware of the minute details of her life?

"I love those shoes you posted last week. Where did you get them?"

You don't want to seem like a stalker (to be fair, she pops up in your newsfeed daily) but you also don't want to seem like you're not interested in her life. She is your Facebook "friend" after all. And she was your partner in grade 11 chemistry - so there's that too.

Shit. When the social media world and the real-life-world collide, it can be a bit awkward.

Well, since I'm an expert in honesty and have a Master's Degree in "Trying To Impress No-one" my best advice is this: be real.

If you know details about her life, don't be afraid to say things like, "Oh yeah, I saw you went to Mexico. How was it?" If she's posting trip pictures on social media, she's expecting people to see them.

You don't need to play coy or hard-to-get. This isn't a dating game, and I'm not one for dating games anyway. 1) Because I'm married, and 2) Because it's fucking ridiculous and exhausting.

Just. Be. Yourself.

Yes, it can be awkward to bump into someone you haven't seen in years and realize you know so much about their lives. But that's also the beauty of social media: it helps us stay connected. So embrace the awkwardness, embrace your friend, and get all-caught-up in real-life too!