Facebook

At dinner this evening we were discussing a Facebook drama. You know the sort. Someone posts something somewhat stupid; someone else makes a slightly unthought about comment; people start tossing in comments and words that are totally uncalled for because the original post has been taken way out of context; finally the delete button is hit and it all goes into cyber oblivion. The whole thing is pure ridiculousness.

I guess what I do not understand about Facebook is why anyone cares anyway? Perhaps it’s because I’ve never been big on internet ‘chatting’ or ‘texting’. I’m kind of outside my generation in that regard. I have never consider anything that cannot said in person to be of any real value. The way I see it is if you can’t or are unwilling to say something to my face, what value does what your ‘typing’ really have anyway?

What I truly don’t understand are people who get upset or angry at posts. We have become such a ‘sissy’ world. The slightest thing offends us or makes us fly into a rage that not only embarrasses us but also our friends and family. It makes you wonder if any great historical accomplishment could have taken place in a world with Facebook?

What would the War for Independence had been like if our Founding Fathers or the brave rebellious had been overly concerned with British comments about their endeavor on Facebook. What about their loyalist neighbors? Would they have spent all day locked in their houses brewing over someone’s comment instead of having the backbone to actually get out and voice the cause?

Poor Thomas Edison. Thank God he didn’t live with Facebook! Imagine the comments on his page after his 932 time of trying to get the light bulb to work? Can you imagine the ridicule? I wonder if he would have been easily offended? I wonder if he would have allowed himself to become so angry he shot off stupid remarks that made the world think him no more than a child? One can easily see the benefit of ‘locking’ out society for a while.

Maybe that’s the problem? Maybe we are simply over-saturated with conversation and not enough contemplation. I am all for free speech (and all for uncensored free speech) but maybe we do too much un-needed talking? Perhaps our constant chatter causes us to fly off the handle and be too easily offended or taken by knee-jerk emotions that force us to suddenly try and take back what we’ve said.

I don’t know but I do know that Facebook, or any other internet site similar, is far too meaningless to cause one to be offended, angry, or unsettled. It’s just not that important. It’s just not even real conversation anyway... WHY CARE?