I’ll admit it. I’m a Facebook fan
It is pretty cool in that it allows you to share pictures and updates about what you are doing, but more importantly, read the updates and see the pictures of what others are doing too. It’s a great way to stay in touch with extended family or reconnecting with old friends or people that you don’t see that often. Facebook obviously has its downsides but if managed well and – kept in perspective – it’s not only a fun distraction but helps maintain our social connections.
There are some features about Facebook that make it truly “social” in its media. For example, when a Facebook friend posts a picture of their child’s creative Halloween costume, people can “react” to it by hitting the thumbs-up “like” button or by even giving it a heart or other emoji. When someone announces something sad like the loss of a pet, people can both comment and react as a means of support.
It is a different way to staying connected. I love reading about my friend from high school who is running a marathon in every state or seeing the latest pictures from my former students’ weddings or new babies. Facebook has allowed me to reconnect with people I worked with over 30 years ago.
A great thing about Facebook is that when someone posts something that you don’t want to see, you can simply “hide post.” It doesn’t require that you un-friend someone or ban them from your wall forever, it just lets you make their latest posting go away.
In the last few weeks of this election, I’ve been wearing out the HIDE POST button.
I made the decision about three weeks ago that I would not read or view any political posts on Facebook. I won’t watch the videos, read the “facts” as presented by some anonymous expert or read the shared articles from sites that are labeled things like chicksontheright.com or OccupyDemocrats.
Facebook, like the rest of our culture, has become a political battleground. The hypocrisy if not outright lunacy demonstrated from people on both sides of the political debate is annoying. For example, the same people who are outraged that we would even read private information from emails culled through hacking by WikiLeaks are the same people who said “See! See!” when a private conversation that was taped without the person’s knowledge became public. Facebook has become an outlet for some political nastiness.
Hide post.
Life has been so nice since I have been able to hide negativity, I’m wishing there was a real life HIDE button for our day to day interactions.
I wish I could have hidden the whole conversation I got to hear from the woman on her phone in front of me in line at Wegman’s. I’m sure the young woman working the checkout, whom the whiner on the phone never even acknowledged, would like a HIDE button as well.
Similarly, watching a sales associate in another store be totally rude to an older customer required a Hide Post (although my comment to said sales associate as I was checking out was likely more effective).
I wish my PSU email account had a “hide” button for some of the requests I get from students. “Sorry I didn’t come to class yesterday. I slept through it and missed the quiz. Can I make it up later this week?” HIDE.
Having a Hide Post button when parenting young children would have been a wonderful tool. Can I have some more candy? Hide. She’s stupid. Hide. I’m bored. Hide. Can I take the car and go to a party in the woods with a bunch of other teenagers? Hide.
If only real life had a HIDE button. I think that statement or that position or that argument that you just made right there is silly or mean or just plain annoying.
I would imagine that there might even be some people who hit HIDE when they read my columns. If I’m bugging you, I say go for it.
Unfortunately, Facebook, like other social media platforms, sometimes allows people to forget their manners. Facebook and other social media also seem to provide “keyboard courage” that allows the people who wouldn’t have the guts to say the same things in face-to-face interactions.
I’ve watched the occasional friend on Facebook say “I’ve had enough and I’m going to deactivate my account and take a break.” I’m not there yet. Until then, or until the election is over, I’m good with using the HIDE button
