It’s so darned easy to get sucked into the social Tsunami called Facebook and ride the same waves that your Friends ride. You hear about music their listening to, places where they eat, teams they root for, pictures of them doing stuff…
You Like a page someone else likes and then you never touch that page again. You Like someone’s comment but you never comment yourself. You tell others when you’re happy, when you’re sad; when you found a new job, when someone close to you died. When your baby burped, when you burped. You tell someone you love them – as if it carries more weight when the entire world knows. You denigrate someone in a post and then feel sad and reflective when they commit suicide…
There’s also a preponderance of “look at me” posts – isn’t it enough to know you possess a six-pack? Or that your kid is an honor student at the middle school? These posts actually sadden me; are people’s self-esteems so damaged that the only cure is to post to Facebook in the hope of feeling the miniscule spritz of dopamine whenever someone clicks “Like” or comments?
The dangers of “social stupidity” are personal and professional: Facebook is identified in far too many divorce cases as “a cause” and far too many people rant about the professional shortcomings of their employers and bosses. Of course, I feel that I have to also mention the polarizing effects of political discussions: Does anyone really believe the hard left/hard right discussions of anarchy build real communities? Or do they simply foment something ugly and insidious without a chance for seeking a common ground?
Would it surprise you if I told you that although some view me as a moderately influential “social recruiter” I have grown weary of the Weight of Facebook? Although I can make any social channel “sing”, I’ve concluded that there are far more effective ways to recruit than with Facebook and there are far better ways to stay in touch with friends than with Facebook. It’s time to shut it down.
I’ve done quite well the better part of my life without it. How about you?