Friend is feeling ‘liked’ out

HOROSCOPES

Aries (March 21-April 19). You’ve been thinking of your problem as though it were an uphill slog, but a change has occurred so you can stop that.

Taurus (April 20-May 20). In a tight group that functions well, it’s easy to lose track of who gave and got what.

Gemini (May 21-June 21). The time to give a good long think as to what the rules should be is before the game begins. That’s where you are today. What you establish now will make all the difference.

Cancer (June 22-July 22). You’ll expend emotional labor. You’ll give gifts, and you’re overflowing with other ways to help people.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22). You’re a leader in some way. You’ll get clues about this today that you can apply in the weeks to come to help bring the group forward.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). It’s a strange but true fact of reality that as hard as you’re working to forward the agenda you believe is so correct, there’s another faction working just as hard at an opposite “correct” agenda.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Though experience can make a person wise, it doesn’t always.

Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). The nutrients gotten from eating with loved ones goes far beyond actual vitamins, proteins and the like.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Note that people with a lot of skin in the game will go into the playing arena ready to take offense at whatever the opposition has to dish.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). It’s good salesmanship to close the deal. It’s great salesmanship to build such a strong case that the customer is the one closing it.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Maybe the aim is impossible to achieve, but that doesn’t make the tasks that lead up to it any less worthwhile.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20). You learn from people who aren’t afraid of confrontation. It doesn’t always have to end in conflict.

Dear Miss Manners: I have a dear friend who is constantly sharing repetitive photos on social media of her children and grandchildren. Nothing wrong with this. But how can we, as honest and genuine friends, continue to “like” the same photos and give the same accolades, over and over again, without being disingenuous?

I am rarely on Facebook, so when I miss an opportunity to praise this friend’s children’s accomplishments, she texts the information to me, so I feel obliged to comment … again.

It’s getting tiring and, frankly, I’m feeling dishonest. I have a feeling that I’m asking a question that many honest and caring folks who use social media would appreciate an answer to.

Let me add that I am not in the least jealous or envious of this friend. I am genuinely grateful for all the good that is happening in her family. It’s the constant repetition of the need for praise that’s getting to me.

Gentle Reader: Do you remember when “sharing” was considered an act of friendship?

Neither does Miss Manners. Somehow it turned into nonstop bragging. If you paid the attention that is asked to the narrations others post of their lives, you would not have time to live your own life.

Small wonder, then, that people are starting to disconnect themselves. Many, especially among the young, do not answer telephone calls. An increasing number of people are limiting or quitting social media.

So your friend would not be justified in taking it personally if you confessed to her, apologetically, that you are weaning yourself from your devices, even to the extent that you cannot keep up with the flood of text messages. Just be sure that when you actually see her, you ask to look at pictures of her grandchildren.

By Judith Martin and Nicholas Ivor Martin UNIVERSAL UCLICK

Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews Mcmeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.