My Brother Thinks That Facebook Is The Internet

I’m 28 and he is only 22. If we do the math, you’ll see that I was born six years before him. That’s how big the gap between us. Wait until we’re together in public. You’d think that I’m the young one, and he’s the elder one. It’s like he is Goliath and I’m David.

We grew up in a small town. Here in South Africa. With a family of four. The fourth one is our single mother. We’ve got one sister who’s long been married. She’s a firstborn, and she has her own family as we speak. Two kids. One boy and a girl.

Now there’s only three of us at home. My mom and the two of us. Me and my brother. We’re a very happy family, and we have an inseparable bond. Especially my brother and I. We come a long way. We’re more like a belt and a trouser— we’re always together most of the times, and it has become normal to people around us.

We went to the same preschool, and the same high school even— and he even attended the same classes which I had attended. At high school my major was history—he also was history. He loves hip hop and poetry — I also love them both.

We share almost 70% quite similar interests and hobbies. That's what makes us inseparable until today.

But here is a slide between us. The 30% which makes us different. My brother is a pessimist and I’m the opposite. He’s a socialist and I’m a communist. He smokes weed and I don’t. He doesn’t speak nor read much — but I do.

I drink alcohol and he doesn’t. I write a lot daily and he doesn’t. I travel. I learn— I’m curious and interested in everything— and him, nope!

But here is what makes us different. My brother is a social media freak. And I’m not. To bluntly put it—my brother is a Facebook addict. Out of a daily 100%. He spends 90% on Facebook.

Busy scrolling up and down, through feeds and people’s timelines. He posts a status at this minute. And another in the next two coming. He amazes me. I don’t know where he gets his energy from: maybe I should borrow it for a day— only if I can keep up with whatever the benefits of Facebook.

Just earlier today he called me from his room; to ask me if I knew the girl in the profile picture— like really dude, was that worth it? I’m busy writing my articles and you’re calling me for this? He is in love with Facebook. He can’t spend an hour without logging in. Sometimes he gets mad if there’s no signal. It had impacted him so hard that he gets emotional at small issues.

I’m starting to think that there’s some pleasure in it. He eats his food with one hand on the phone. Busy scrolling — like he’s scrolling the globe or something. Our mom has become used to this habit of his. She no longer gives it much attention as I do.

But here is a joke, plus a serious issue that I think needs to be addressed —  before these misinformed kids gets lost in the wings of errors—its inappropriate to find a young smart kid not having an idea of the difference between Facebook and the internet.

Just like these other fellow young Africans; my brother thinks that Facebook is the internet , and it seems that he can’t understand the difference unless such an issue is addressed properly.

Sometimes my mom would ask what he is doing and his reply is simply the same; “ I’m on the internet Mom” like really? Is that it?

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