It's a Facebook World

Over on one of the memes I do, Sunday Stealing, the author who asks the questions I answer weekly has noted, on more than one occasion, that blogs are no longer the thing.

People have moved to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Many I have never heard of nor do I particularly care to hear of them.

I am on Facebook, though. I like that I can subscribe to various publications and they offer up links to stories - some of which I can access, others not.

Occasionally it is nice to hear good news from friends, though mostly what I see is, "I have a hang nail, prayers please." For some it is more serious than that but for others it appears that every ache, pain, and negative thought requires acknowledgement from all parties who read their post.

I do not ask for prayers or thoughts on Facebook. I sometimes post something political, but not overtly so, and it is directed at my friends. I have 511 people on FB who have asked to be my friend.

They are not all my friends. Most of them I hardly know. Some are people from high school. Most of them post things I never see because I have put them in categories so I don't see them. I see the posts of people I care about - some family, close friends, a few folks who have interesting thoughts on the state of the world, artists, writers, and other people who are of like mind.

I do sometimes watch the funny video of a cat, child, dog, horse or whatever, and I sometimes take the little tests about what Star Wars character you would be, just for fun, of course.

It is related to Lord of the Rings I probably look at it. If it is related to writing, I probably look at it. If it is related to politics, I may or may not look at it.

I feel no need to post things on my "wall" that say "No one ever reads my page and if you want to stay my friend then post something now." I don't post to acknowledge cancer of any kind, or any other disease, for that matter, and I don't post to "show someone is always watching and you are not alone: here's the suicide hotline."

I do not type "amen" after religious posts. I do not follow links to sign online petitions because I do not believe anyone who can resolve an issue pays much attention to an online petition. I know I wouldn't if I were in a position to do something. I might make note of it. If I were, say, a local elected representative and it came to my attention that people were signing a petition because they oppose something, I might take a look at it. But over all I don't think these things are effective.

Besides, I have no way of knowing if these petitions are real or if they are simply "farms" that are picking up my name and email to use for some other reason. Maybe that high volume of spam I receive comes from something I stupidly did 15 years ago, I don't know. Whatever you do online tends to hang around forever.

I don't post things asking you to post one word about how we met. I know how we met. I don't need the whole world to know how we met.

Really, what does any of the above stuff accomplish? If you believe prayer is supposed to cure your hang nail then I guess that might accomplish that purpose, although a pair of clippers could do the same. If you're on your way to surgery and you're anxious about it and ask for prayers, I wish you well and hope for the best outcome. But really that's up to your surgeon and your overall health, I think

I see a lot of loneliness on the Facebook feed as people cry out for attention for anything, and illnesses and loss apparently are very good topics. It is good to know that someone's father died so I can send a sympathy card, and since fewer people are paying for obituaries sometimes this is the only way I know. So there is that. But I suspect if I'm not on your "call this person if a close relative dies" list, then you're not going to miss my presence or my sympathy card. I daresay I won't even cross your mind.

Yet even with all this stuff that I see and try not to pay attention to, I spend too much time on Facebook. (Pretty much any time on Facebook is too much, but I mean, I am on there far too much.) What am I doing if I am not posting?

I read the articles from the links to various newspapers and magazines. I watch live interviews with Sean Spicer (cough cough). I watch live interviews with various political figures, like my senators, and sometimes with celebrities, like Mayim Bialik. I read the things that Lynda Carter (the first Wonder Woman on TV) posts because we are of the same political persuasion. I read the nasty comments that public people receive on their posts and wonder who these filthy little people are who can't keep their fingers off the keyboards and who think they have the right to belittle someone simply because opinions differ.

I block a lot of people, people I do not know and do not care to know, because they post incredibly vile things on someone else's post. If someone on a TV station Facebook post decides to post terrible things and call people names, I block him or her. That person might be the smartest person in the entire world, but if the only thing the thing behind the keyboard can type is "typical libtard response, they think they know everything and they're stupid and Obama was a monkey, snowflake" (and yes, I have seen many of those types of posts), then I don't care what else the person has to say. So I block. I have a long list of unknown names blocked now.

Social media brings out the worst in people. I stay silent more than not because it easier for me, and less likely to cause me angst.

Instead, I come over here on my blog and write about whatever is on my mind. This isn't thrown in your face. If you're here, you're here because you want to read whatever I have to say, or look at my deer pictures, or whatever the reasons are people read my blog. I much prefer to have my say here, where you have the option to read it or not, your choice. I'm not throwing it in your face. You're reading this because either you like my writing or value my opinion or maybe you're just bored as hell and are hoping I'll write something funny and sarcastic, which I do manage to do from time to time.

I am finding the Facebook World to be a very trying and tiring place. I am especially tired of twitter even though I don't use it.

Twenty-five years ago my life had no internet. I wonder how much better my life - and maybe yours - would be, if that were the case again.