NEW DIRECTIONS

It has been a LONG time since I have blogged. After a few years of regular entries, I suddenly stopped in 2014, unsure of what use I could make of this unique forum of expression. In 2014, I had begun to embrace Twitter, with its easy 140-character conciseness. Because my Facebook pages are linked to Twitter, that conciseness carries over into the ubiquitous Zuckerberg platform. (More about Twitter in a future blog.)

Let’s talk about Facebook. I suppose it was fun at first, but now I find it incredibly annoying. Facebook has become an unfortunate forum for venting, for spewing blind political vitriol, for trolling and, yes, for stalking.

I don’t deny Facebook’s utility as an effective way to link together far-flung family and friends. And I don’t begrudge some people’s use of this social media platform as a means to vent about politics. Hey, Facebook’s strength lies in the way it can be used in whatever way the user sees fit.

Personally, I prefer to use text messaging to stay in touch with family and friends. As for politics, I would rather discuss the issues of the day in person with trusted amigos. Therein lies my major beef with social media in general and Facebook in particular: the sense of false intimacy.

I am an intensely private person. I am very uncomfortable with sharing my thoughts and feelings even with my own family and close friends. I need to be asked before I can open myself up. So why in God’s name would I share personal stuff with total strangers or casual acquaintances on Facebook? 

So that’s the reason my Facebook posts tend to be full of puns and jokes, or are filled with non sequitur nonsense or obscure references to some song or TV show from long ago youth. That’s why I shy away from posting photos of myself or my family and friends. Instead, I share my love of abstract art. That’s why I despise #ThrowbackThursday and instead post my own warped alternative, #PopTartThursday. If I want to be intimate, I’ll share my life with those closest to me, not with some nebulously random Facebook “community.”

In short, I use Facebook in my own quirky way, as is my right. Enjoy it! I certainly do.