Social Media
Social media. It enables us to basically treat all things in life the same. No matter the issue, we can all just pull out our phone, open the Facebook app, and share.
Maybe this is a good thing. But it often doesn’t feel like it to me. Too often it either elevates the mundane to the standards of the extraordinary. Or brings down the important things in life to equal footing with the forgettable. It promotes the mentality of sheep. And makes it hard to decipher between sincere thoughts and ideas from just going along with the crowd.
And again, maybe this doesn’t really matter. Perhaps it’s a good thing to be able to share with friends and family so easily. It’s just… there’s always something to jump on board of. And again, this just seems to cheapen the important things.
As for examples. The big one over the last year or so must be the ALS ice bucket challenge. Yes it was for a noble cause. Record amounts of money was raised to fund research into the disease. But it became too much. I couldn’t log on to Facebook or Twitter without seeing someone else dumping a bucket of water over their heads. Sometimes the dumpers failed to even mention why they were doing the dumping. And you could only assume that they actually gave money to the cause.
But after a while I became uncomfortable with the amount of first world waste that event brought. I kept imagining third world people learning about the cause. And the shock on their faces when they were told bags of ice were purchased in stores… brought home… poured into a bucket of water… and immediately dumped over the purchaser’s head, left to melt on the ground.
The cheering of sports teams is another example. I watch sports. I cheer for particular teams. And if something substantial happens in the game I may also post about it on social media. But really… “Go (insert team name here) Go!” I really don’t need to see a dozen Facebook friends posting that on my news feed.
A quiz can be fun sometimes. And usually they sprint through the social media feeds pretty quickly. Plus it can be a quick amusement to find out what Game of Thrones character you would be… or who your best friend on Facebook actually is.
No, for me, it’s when the important aspects of life get the Facebook treatment that causes me cringes and sighs. Because suddenly a life threatening disease takes on the life of hockey team support. A claim of supporting the troops is equal to finding out the answer to the above mentioned Game of Thrones character quiz.
An all encompassing platform simply becomes too much. On one log in to your news feed you can see how one friend is wishing prayers to the family of a slain police officer while the next friend is sharing a video about cats. The next friend is telling all about the death of a parent while the one after that is talking about how exciting it was to be a part of their “bestie’s” wedding. I love this hockey team… I hate immigrants… share this if you support the troops… like this if you remember the Flinstones.
So many conflicting thoughts and ideas. You can be sad, happy, excited, or angry all with the swipe of your finger as you browse your news feed.
That’s why, when this week I started seeing people turning their profile pictures into rainbow hued images of gay marriage support, I couldn’t help but think “here we go again.” The avalanche of rainbow coloured friends had begun. And my first thought was towards the Simpsons. When, at a baseball game on pretzel day, irate fans began pelting the field with their salted, breaded treats. First one… followed by thousands.
Personally, I don’t care if two gay people get married. I also don’t care if two heterosexual people get married. And, in Canada, same sex marriage has been a thing for ten years now. Sure I can understand the significance of the United States finally coming on board with the idea. But I can’t say I was jumping over the moon about it. I mean it’s been ten years already. I know same sex couples. I don’t see them any differently than any other couple. So I’m hardly going to take part in the rainbow extravaganza on Facebook now simply because a foreign country has finally caught up with the times.
And after the wave of rainbows, I begin to see my newsfeed become infused with angry same sex marriage supporters. Angry because there are people out there who aren’t excited about this event. The celebration of love suddenly became hostile. The lovers trying to shame the rest for their lack of enthusiasm.
So it’s safe to say that social media leaves me conflicted. I enjoy its ability to give me a snapshot of what a friend of family member is doing or thinking. Last week I was able to watch the reaction of my cousin as he sat second row at the 18th green of the US Open… and I laughed as he “Oooo’d” in shock at Dustin Johnson’s missed putt.
I enjoy seeing images of home. I like watching a video of the birds eating seed in a miniature pub. And I find it interesting to see friends at concerts or to hear their thoughts on events in the news.
But at the same time, I hate how social media can trivialize everything. How it’s made as easy to show support for something important as it is to show a picture of what you’re having for dinner. And I don’t like the sameness social media can create. This I dislike the most. To see dozens of people all falling into line. A world of sheep is a pretty boring place.
What I did enjoy, in regards to the same sex marriage news, was the few stories shared by some. Those stories that make it more human than a rainbow filter on a picture. Where senior parents of gay adult children leap with joy at the thought that their child can now have the same rights in love that anybody else has. Share that kind of story all day long. I won’t get tired of that.
I think if social media was a place where nobody could “share” links to other people’s stories it would be so much better. If all you could do was write your own thoughts or show pictures and videos of your own experiences (and no, a selfie in front of a landmark is not an experience of that landmark), wouldn’t a tool like Facebook be so much better? I’d sacrifice knowing what Game of Thrones character I’m most like if it meant I could see the true thoughts and experiences of the people in this world I most care about. That’s the social media I want.
MONDAY…
--- Skip ball this week to rest the hamstring. It’s improving but not where it needs to be.
TUESDAY…
--- Not much out of the ordinary.
WEDNESDAY…
--- Skip the Wednesday ball as well this week. Hamstring getting better each day but still not enough.
THURSDAY…
--- Want to do a walk after work today but just too tired to do it. Haven’t slept in for months now… though do sleep at least six hours each night (on CPSIC shift I’d be more like a four hour sleep during work and seven hours on days off).
FRIDAY…
--- Got to cave in and put on the headphones at work today. In CPSIC, I grew accustomed to not listening to music and podcasts while I work. Too many other things going on and I never wanted to risk missing a phone call due to headphones. But now, in Latents, I’ve got to do it again. Too many people talking and too open an office concept. You can easily hear a half dozen conversations at a time from either my department or the one next to ours. I have no idea why anyone in management thought it was a good idea to pair up work that demands concentration with an open office concept. Somebody was really not thinking this through.
--- Get out walking around after work. Funny how I’m usually more energetic on the Fridays each week rather than the Thursdays. Order Chinese food for supper. They’re getting pretty bad at delivering the food. The last time they were a good twenty minutes late bringing it. This time they tell me it’ll be 45 minutes. It ends up taking an hour and a half. Good thing I didn’t have any plans.
SATURDAY…
--- Afternoon baseball on TV. Left over Chinese for supper. A walk as well. A relaxing day.
