What struck me the most is the diverse interests of so many people. When the post about Tesco in the UK putting security tags on their plastic bags was made . There was as much interest in that post as there was about the terrible crisis in Indonesia and the awful fire creating so much devastation. Political posts are vying with little videos of grand children saying Gan Gan . Diverse and on occasion frustrating or thought provoking, but never boring.
Tupac singing is as liable to rub shoulders with an old print of Princess Diana as a modern post of Prince Harry and the likeable baby pig snuffling a bowl of food.
Such diversity is the gift of Facebook and other social media. I find it fascinating and avidly read for a couple of hours a day the variety of posts made by my friends and those marked for public view.
What I dislike is the tremendous amount of false images or stolen images with spurious captions. One particular photograph, stolen from a newspaper article about a little girl injured by her playmate. That particular one had a huge written comment, 'press like if you'r against child abuse' and at the bottom of the image F*** you if you can't press like.
What on EARTH did the creator of such an image think they were doing?. The poor parents of this child are the focus for a real campaign from ignorant people. The child herself will grow up with constant references to this image the 'is this you' stuff. The person who stole her image gave no thought whatsoever to the trauma they are storing up for a little girl, or her parents. All for what?
Discovering posts being created purely to hit at peoples emotional responses, worries me. There is seemingly no barrier to the depths of depravity or despicable displays that some will stoop to. For some it is the need for recognition. The desire to be 'popular' and for others it is to have the most 'likes', the most shares or the most comments. I fail to understand why such posts are allowed. There has to have been more than just myself reported the ones that mislead, misguide,misjudge.
The harm done to people through posting pictures of a man and claiming he is a paedophile. No proofs offered, just an anonymous post. It could well be the act of a vengeful girlfriend, or someone with a grudge. But how many people immediately click 'like' or share and make a comment about the person should die? without checking first..
The same for some of the videos, Parents making a video of their child swearing in language that would make a Liverpool Docker blush, isn't funny, or at least I never thought so myself. Apparently, it amuses some. Which too me is incomprehensible but as they say, different strokes, for different folks.
Yet I am addicted to Facebook, to Twitter (a different post one day) to the newly popular Medium and the Instagram and other such social avenues. They have become my 'latest news' items. Not what the News 'is' on programmes costing thousands of pounds to create. The news as perceived as important, by the ordinary man and woman, costing no more than the time they use to say their piece.
I can judge almost to the last 'like' what will receive a comment, a click of the mouse on various posts I make. My rants usually get lots of attention, unless they are 'social awareness' rants. If its a rant against animal cruelty I don't think many on my friends list miss an opportunity to click on it, make a comment about it. If I post a family issue, something I am proud of like Ellie and Abbie my two grand daughters, currently in local news for charity efforts, then I have lots of lovely comments from Mothers and members of family. Always nice to read. If I select a piece of music, then my 60's and 70's rock seems far more appreciated than anything else.Even the occasional classic gets attention.
What is happening, is that I have become an observer of social mores, social attitudes and awareness or otherwise of political knowledge. Of the massive disparity in education in various strata of society. I became horrified at how little my younger friends understood about how important the vote is, especially for women. Delighted when posts brought about a change as with Cecil the Lion and his tragic death. Pleased when Anti hunt posts gained enough popularity to create genuine actions.
I am happy to see social changes, awareness and education being used, as much as I despair at the puerile, offensive and sometimes bigoted posts that can blight a good hours reading.
All in all, social media sites are both my friend and my enemy, in some ways, possibly one of the best things to be created since the world wide web came into being. In other ways a great evil can be created as much as a great good can be wrought. I remain, an avid reader of social sites and a very blessed user of them and their sisterhood, the blog.
