Friday, June 22, 2018

The Faces Of Facebook




Do you remember the days before Facebook? When a conversation or discussion was made over the phone; not today’s cell variety but one that was actually attached to a wall? Or better yet, a conversation that was carried out eye to eye and face to face? I do. And maybe that’s why I have become increasingly less interested in opening up my Facebook account over these last several weeks. Admittingly, the need to keep in touch with the latest things going on in the lives of family and friends continues to drive me to click that icon more often than I probably should. 

Knowing that a new baby has been born, someone has reached an important place in their lives or yes, even the latest new cocktail recipe or cute animal video are all  fine reasons to flip through your newsfeed. Nothing better than to see photos of people you know simply enjoying their lives through work, recreation, exciting events or wonderful accomplishments. Lately though to me it has become a dumping ground for political half truths and sometimes even total fabrication, unwittingly or not by those who post in an effort to force their beliefs on those they think unable to understand the world around them as well as they do. Many times those types of posts come from people I respect and even family members that I love and that is when it becomes hardest not to get sucked into a conversation you, as a commenter, just cannot win. How can people with the same type of background; and in some cases even the same upbringing view the world so differently than you? But expressing an opposing point of view with them on the threads of Facebook? Well, that is tailor made for the origin of the phrase “it’s like pissing in the wind”. So, as difficult as it is for me to refrain from that type of conversation....and with some....it is almost impossible, I will do my best to resist that treacherous “Comment” section and save my energy & opinions for Face To Face conversations rather than Facebook To Facebook.