Last weekend, Jane Lynch hosted Saturday Night Live.  I was prepared for a creative “Glee” themed skit, as well as some singing routines (even though Sue Sylvester rarely sings, Jane Lynch has some pipes!).

However, I hardly expected the hilarious commercial for a Facebook product which “cleanses” your posts and photos, making them more G-rated for the benefit of your mother who recently joined Facebook and made you her friend.  Check it out here.

Although Facebook began as a social networking site for college students, it soon began to expand to the outside world.  Before long, high school and middle school students joined en masse, followed by business professionals and average adults.  At its inception, Mark Zuckerberg tried to protect the “coolness” of Facebook by not selling advertising on his network, so I’m sure he was hardly expecting this truly “uncool” development years later:  those encroaching on the AARP list are signing up.

And sign up they have.  In fact, according to an August, 2010 study by the Pew Institute, the fastest growing population on Facebook is those ages 65+.  Holy rollers, Batman!  Not cool, is it?

Okay, maybe it’s kind of cool.  Senior citizens embracing technology is a good thing (except when they call you, requesting technical support for things like “how do I open the picture of my granddaughter you attached to your email?” cough cough, Dad).

Nonetheless, having your family “friend you” can cramp your style on Facebook, and may require some heart-to-heart conversations in advance.  As depicted in the SNL commercial, what could be more uncool for a teenager than having your parents comment on your posts or photos, and mangle social networking vernacular (“I am laughing out loud on the floor”)?   Do you really want your grandmother to post something like this on your page?

Should it be taboo for a parent to communicate with the friends of their kids?

People of the AARP generation don’t understand that nowadays, for better or for worse, young people post lots of personal information about themselves on Facebook.  That’s just how it is.  But when you post certain things on Facebook, Mom might ask you questions you’d rather not address.

So when relatives “friend you” on Facebook, it might be wise to set down some ground rules and say, “hey, I’d rather you not comment on everything I do or post” or “if you want to talk to me about something, send me a personal message in my email box.”  Either that, or you can adjust your personal settings so Mom sees only specific items.  If all else fails and you’re not worried about being disinherited, you can always unfriend your Mom.   But as the lawyers say… govern yourself accordingly.

Related articles

• “SNL” Spoofs Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg [VIDEO] (mashable.com)
• “Damn It, My Mom is On Facebook” (cosmopolitan.com)