Understanding My Space on Facebook

Platform - A place, means, or opportunity for public expression of opinion.

Social media has changed the manner in which we receive a lot of our information. There was a time when personal thoughts were only shared between a few people, in person, via written correspondence or over the phone.  When a funny thought crossed your mind, you'd make a mental note to share that with your family the next time you all got together.  

But much like everything else in life, times have changed.  Social media has developed into a beast.  And when I say beast, I don't mean that in a negative way, I just mean that it's seriously had it's way with the way we communicate with each other.  That's not necessarily a bad thing.  There is no rule that says all interaction must remain stagnant in order to preserve the integrity of the content shared.  If that were the case, you'd probably be reading this on a cave wall or stone tablet.  ;-)

I personally prefer to communicate in written form.  This goes all the way back to my childhood.  Instead of talking to my mother in person, I would write a letter.  I had a diary of course, and I wrote notes to my friends in school.  I was taught (read forced) to send written thank you notes, when I received birthday gifts.  Even after a 2 week stint vacation at my grandmothers in Philly every year, I would leave a nice hand written note for my grandmother prior to our departure.  I'd sneak it on her bed right before we jumped in the car to head back home. It's just my preference.   My brother on the other hand preferred verbal communication.  I think he talked (talks) on the phone to friends more than any other guy I've seen before.  But again, that's just his preference.  Neither is good or bad.  

Now we have before us, an altered way of getting our messages across to those we want to.  But instead of a few people to share our messages with, we have an entire audience made up of a few hundred people at minimum.  

I'm generally a quiet person.  I like to observe people.  I'm cautious with what I say to people in person, because while quiet, I also have a very dry sense of humor.  I'm very sarcastic, and not everyone can handle that. It's hard to translate sarcasm over the internet without sounding like a douche bag.  I've learned the hard way, and now try to throw "lol" and smiley faces all over a sarcastic comment so they know I'm not trying to be rude.  But that's draining.  So, for the most part, I've limited commenting on social media sites to those that genuinely know me.  If I friended anyone from church, they'd be trying to drown me in holy water and blessed oil at this point.)

But everyone doesn't have that type of filter.

And this is why I don't have all that many friends and family on most of the social media sites I (am registered on.  Everyone doesn't know me.  Just because I passed you in the hallway 12 years ago, and we exchange our fondness over the new hairstyle some celebrity is now donning, doesn't mean we need to be FB friends.   You see my take is, I liken this all to school.  Particularly the cafeteria.   In my experience, you sat with your group of friends during lunch.  Those are the ones that you had the most communication with.  It's not that you didn't like those that sat at other tables, it's just you didn't have the same bond.  The same likes/dislikes.  They were just your peers.  

You didn't stand in the front of the cafeteria sharing your dirt, jokes, or insecurities.  What would be the point of that?  Fast track to the present, and you've friended these same people that sat at the other tables, and now are sharing everything with them.  On top of all that, you have now found your self annoyed, frustrated or confused by these same people's posts.  

Why?  There are people that will always say what they want to say, regardless of the platform they are given to say it.  Whether it be at the beauty salon among 6 or 7 other individuals, or whether it's online for the world to see.  For the most part,  these people are just being them.  They have no desire to filter what they type, and could care less who sees what they post.  That's absolutely OK.  I have no desire to "friend" people that are reckless with their postings.  It's not that I think they are bad people, it's just not the type of vibe I want dancing up and down my timeline. I can take but so many selfies, long a** hashtags, and "Like if you love Jesus" posts before I have to kick a person to the curb.  It's not personal.

I vowed years ago not to let other people's behavior dictate my reaction.  I always thought these social media platforms were meant for fun, and they continue to be for me.  I am a part of a few FB, GOOGLE+, & twitter groups that allow me to discuss more serious or subject focused topics.  In my school analogy, I think those would be considered extracurricular activities! LOL!!

What are your thoughts about the company you keep on social media websites?

Please view this video, it's HILARIOUS!!