Why do some people think that their popularity and acceptance is measured by the number of Facebook friends?

[Swimmer899]

I do have a Facebook page, but I never use it. So far in 2012, I've made 5 posts on Facebook, and I haven't a singlea photo in over 2 years (that doesn't stop other people from tagging me on group pictures.)

I'm actually proud that I haven't been sucked into the Facebook craze.

It never seizes to amaze me that some people actually (not jokingly) have told me that I must have a sad life for what they can see on my Facebook page. Sometimes I think people are joking, then I get shocked to realize that they truly believe that because I don't have many Facebook friends, and there's no activity on my Facebook page, I must have a sad life.

It takes me a few moments to process the the fact that they really think that a Facebook page somehow measures the life and happiness of a person?

These people seem the objects of my jokes, but there's actually quite a bit of people like these.

What's wrong with them?

[Pie]

They are immature morons, I know how you feel

[Nikki]

People are into what everyone else is apparently into these days, they make it seem like it's a life and death situation where they basically put their lives into the site for others to see or care about what's going on and sometimes to just gain a reputation for popularity itself. It's sad really, but they figure they might as well do it since everyone else is like it's some competition and that they can express themselves better than how they would if they were to meet up with the people in person. It shows that these days people simply lack actual communication and focus on things that shouldn't even matter in their lives since it's not going to help them much for when they need to actually get themselves out there. Don't listen to them at all, at least you're being smart.

[Stephanie]

Simply because they have nothing else to quantify their life. Some people are insecure and need to feel like they are ranked somewhere and to them, a full wall of useless posts about how much alcohol they have/are about to consume or the lame things they are doing means that they have standing somewhere. They make fun of you because they don't know how much real fun you have or the interesting things you do.

[Fairbanks]

I think it is an addiction personally. I am sure they realize they are not true friends and especially not all of them.Maybe people should imagine how many of these friends would actually help them out in a situation that would drag them into it or suppose you think of it as, well how many of my friends would attend my funeral.Popular people who do not even have a facebook page, also have many or probably more "true" friends. I do not see why I or you even you need to worry about facebook. All books have an ending, and all facebook friends will go on to other places, people and life. I hope.As they say,"you can't judge an open book by it's cover." And, oh boy, facebook is an open book.

[Alice]

They can't see your entire personality, so they'll start to base it in things that give out information such as facebook. There are those people who would tend to look for something to compete with, and this comes to answer the question on why there are people who are actually bragging about the number of friends they have in facebook. It will not only show how popular you are to other people who base it that way, it will also bring you a feeling of acceptance that a lot of people actually like you regardless of who invited who.