Facebook Comment Lifestyle

I was asked my opinion about something and the response I got back was
“oh no, you’re wrong because I think…”

You see, its ironic because I just so happened to be talking about the fact that people say “I” too much in every conversation which devolves into a tennis match of statements hurled at each other.

And this got me thinking. People have brought Facebook comments into real life. Read anyone’s status, about anything. Ninety nine percent of the comments on anyone’s status start with ‘I’ and have very little do with the subject at hand.

How many times have you seen this interaction?

Person A’s Status: “I love hot chips.”
Person B: “I do too. I love putting hot sauce and cheese on them.”
Person C replying to B: “Hot sauce and cheese? No ways. I prefer just plain salt.”

What has been gained from this interaction? Person B and Person C haven’t learnt why Person A loves hot chips, or what spurred that comment, instead decided to interject about themselves. yes, they have shared something about themselves. Completely un-asked of ofcourse, but that hasn’t stopped them.

The best advice I got about Facebook was “Don’t be too busy to share, but be too busy to engage.” And I have taken this mostly to heart. In fact the only time I do engage is when it comes to managing my podcast page. And even then, its as light touch as possible. 

This advice and the example of the above interaction has lead me to use Facebook as a Share To instead of an interaction. I have something I want to say, and so I say it and walk away. No one bothers to debate or understand my original statement. In fact, if people read it, they often they end up arguing amongst themselves about something completely unrelated.

This is not a dig at Facebook. No, thats too easy, with all their current missteps (like them wanting to keep flat earthers and anti-vaxxers on their platform as a means of “unbiased moderation”). No, this is peoples behavior when it comes to Facebook, and the reason I am no longer as active on it. In fact, at the risk of sounding like a total hipster, I dont have Facebook or Messenger on any of my devices save one (and its not my phone).