Yes, I have a Facebook page. And yes, it has a useful purpose, in my case to post photos of my travels so they can easily be shared with family and friends. It provides a simple and easy way for me to upload pictures, and it provides an easy way for others to view them.
But I have… let’s say, an extremely strong and abiding dislike for Facebook. (Pardon the somewhat tangled way of expressing that, but I have eliminated the word “hate” from my vocabulary. Perhaps more on that another time.)
Facebook and other social media such as Twitter have become the graffiti wall of the current times, where every crackpot and nutcase has the power and ability to post and repost and re-repost anything, the end result being the propagation of innuendo, rumours, false accusations, and invectives.
Where people only thought some of this stuff before and maybe shared it over coffee with a few fellow extreme wingers on the right or left, they now have a wall the size of earth on which to write it. I know, I have been guilty of it. It is an easy trap to fall into… because it is so convenient, and the consequences are few.
And that’s the crux of the problem. Say anything, with few consequences. No need to justify or explain. Just ignore any challenges to the thoughts being expressed. Sit back and feel self-satisfied that you’ve told them. And how!
Discussion about any topic is good, is enlightening, is good exercise for the mind, and helps shape opinion. But that only happens if there actually is discussion, if there is give and take, if there is thought applied to the topic, if questions can be asked and if answers are given.
Healthy and respectful discussion of any topic is what brings about solutions and helps shape our friendships, our views of family and friends, our world view, however narrow or broad we want that to be.
I love a good discussion, a good argument. I love to hear other views and have an opportunity to rebut, reject, or agree. I have learned more from talking to other people and reading or hearing other points of view than I ever have from text books.
But Facebook, when used to skewer others, to make fun of others, to accuse others, is largely a one-way street, even more so than Twitter. It is the ideal vehicle for propaganda and vilification, because it looks authentic, and there are few means to respond and have those responses be seen by those who have seen the original posting.
It is the lazy way to be a critic: repost something nasty and disavow ownership and responsibility.
Real debate has long ago gone out the window. I don’t know if there are even debating societies and competitions left in the education system.
That’s okay, because we still have vigorous discussions over coffee or drinks or dinner, during political campaigns, in governments, wherever people gather. But will that survive the age of social media?
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