Facebook. Twitter. Linkedin. Just three social media site names that are, perhaps, the most recognized.....depending on one's point of view.
What started this thought process was an overnight post by a friend who wrote, "Facebook is like a party line on crack.", which cracked me up, at first, then made me think, at second, (word choice intentional) and then made me look up "social media" where I discovered that there must have been at least two hundred sites listed. If pressed, I might have been able to list twenty social media sites, never naively dreaming there could be so many.
There is little ambivalence about Facebook, or any other social media. Since I am a Facebook member and user, it is the one with which I am most familiar and I remain fascinated by "it", in general, and what people do with it, in particular. Facebookers, I'll call us, use it to chat, wax sentimental, rage, inform (to what degree is debatable), teach (only from the poster's point of view), influence (gotta question this one), rant, air disagreements, declare love for someone or something, question, query, quote, whine, moan, organize, invite, besmirch, belittle, defame, decry, and debate......just to name a few verbs.
I am discovering that those who use computers are either comfortable with social media or they avoid it like the plague. To those who are not "connected" in some way it may be viewed as a waste of time, to others it is a surefire way to "catch a virus" and to yet others, it is "just not something I care to do", to quote from a recent conversation. Again, to reference Facebook, for some it seems to be their link to the world, a remedy for boredom, or a platform on which to espouse political, religious, or moral views. Facebook users say the darndest things, post the most outrageous things, find the funniest things and use the most offensive language....depending on your point of view. I have learned that I must separate the person from what they post online, otherwise I would drive myself nuts.
I agree with my "friend" who said that Facebook is like a party line on crack. She is right. You will find no ambivalence from me on this statement. And now, would you like to read my views on the political climate in the United States?
I didn't think so.
Ancora imparo
