Boasting / Celebrating Good Fortune?

[Ceallach]

I was fortunate last year to be gifted a particular expensive and popular item of technology by my boss (she gave them to all staff).  I posted on Facebook about how excited I was about it and also made some joke about "I guess I'd better work harder now!" or similar.   Lots of my friends liked it.  One guy however posted a comment that came across really sarcastic, it was along the lines of "Nice for you?" or similar (but it definitely wasn't a question).   It made me wonder if I'd come across as boastful, like "Yeah, I've got this awesome thing! I'm so cool!" or somehow was rude.

I know that yes, it's my status, I can say what I want and all that.   But do you think it was inconsiderate?    Where is the line between celebrating good fortune and being boastful?   

I've had a rough decade or so in a variety of medical, mental health ways etc.  But overall my life is pretty cool.  And this year, I'm having the BEST year.   Lots of good things are happening to me.   I'm happy.  And I've noticed that good news gets much more attention - whenever I post something nice on FB I get lots of likes and happy comments. Examples such as celebrating my wedding anniversary and how awesome DH is, or excited about a trip somewhere or having a nice visitor from back home come here to stay.  I don't think I'm overly boastful but it is something I wonder about.  Is the incessant good news person as annoying as the incessant whinger?   (I don't think I'm incessant - there's normally a week or two in between each of my updates!)   Are there things that it's uncool to be *too* happy about?  How much respect should I show for those who might not be having such a good year?

[Kaypeep]

Forget that it's FB, if it were real life and you were at a BBQ sharing that same story, someone is likely to be a spoil sport about it somehow.  There's announcing good news, and there's bragging.  Bragging is rude.  You weren't rude.  Your friend sounds like he's jealous, down in the dumps, or whatever.  Don't let one bad egg change how you use your FB, or live your life.

[Sharnita]

I think it's tricky.  If you are with a group of work freinds or have several of them who are friends with you on facebook and you are the only one who got item from your boss then boasting/celebrating can make things awkward at best.

[Ceallach]

I think it's tricky.  If you are with a group of work freinds or have several of them who are friends with you on facebook and you are the only one who got item from your boss then boasting/celebrating can make things awkward at best.

I have a no workmates rule on FB - it's the best decision I ever made       I don't write anything that's not suitable for work, but it's just keeping that degree of separation.

[Sharnita]

I think it's tricky.  If you are with a group of work freinds or have several of them who are friends with you on facebook and you are the only one who got item from your boss then boasting/celebrating can make things awkward at best.

I have a no workmates rule on FB - it's the best decision I ever made       I don't write anything that's not suitable for work, but it's just keeping that degree of separation.

That's good.  That is the one spot where i think it could have been iffy.

[LifeOnPluto]

I think you're fine, and your friend is being a Negative Nelly. It's not like you said "Boss gave me a Blackberry probably because I am the most awesome employee ever!" etc.

[Isometric]

That is what Facebook is for, sharing good things that happen. I guess you could call it "boasting" at a stretch, but most people's FB is full of close friends and family, who should be happy at one anothers successes and highlights. Also, you're pretty much thanking your boss and saying how cool they are, which is nice.

If you were boasting, so are these people

"We're having a baby!"
"I graduated from uni today!"
"We finally bought a new car/house/lawnmower!"

"Friend" might have been having a bad day.

Only exception to the above is if you were posting constantly about new and expensive things you had bought yourself, but this was a gift so it's not the same.

[Kitty Hawk]

There will always be someone who doesn't cheer your good fortune. Usually they are jealous.

To me, celebrating is "I'm so happy, I finally got an XYZ!  Can't wait to use it!"

Boasting is "I have an XYZ and you don't!  I am just soooooooo much better than you, nyah nyah nyah"

[TheVapors]

I think this is a normal case of someone just being jealous or annoyed to have to hear about your good fortune. They were trying to hall monitor your postings by making it known that... "gosh, they don't care". If they really didn't care, they could skip the comment, block you, block your feed, not read what you write... etc. They cared enough to write something nasty. That says a lot about them, and it's not anything good.

I either would've immediately deleted that nasty comment, because I am so kind as to not want others to judge this person on one nasty moment...

OR... purposefully taken it as heartfelt. "Thanks! It is nice! I've been very fortunate this year." 

[Penguin_ar]

Nothing wrong with what you posted.  Now, if you kept going on about it then yes, but once or twice is fine.

[Ceallach]

I think this is a normal case of someone just being jealous or annoyed to have to hear about your good fortune. They were trying to hall monitor your postings by making it known that... "gosh, they don't care". If they really didn't care, they could skip the comment, block you, block your feed, not read what you write... etc. They cared enough to write something nasty. That says a lot about them, and it's not anything good.

I either would've immediately deleted that nasty comment, because I am so kind as to not want others to judge this person on one nasty moment...

OR... purposefully taken it as heartfelt. "Thanks! It is nice! I've been very fortunate this year." 

It was awhile ago, but as I recall I went down the taking it at face value path, and responded with "yes lucky me!" or similar.         It was one of those things I didn't want to leave hanging in midair as if he'd shut down the conversation. 

I do try to be mindful to not post something super gleeful when a friend is going through a major tragedy, for example.  But I'm not exactly a prolific status-updater so I think I'm probably ok... thanks for the comments all!