1/30 The April Challenge
So first, a preface.
I saw a post on Facebook a few days back that had writing prompts for the month of April in a sort of challenge form. Knowing that I needed to get back to writing to possibly kickstart actually writing something, this felt like something good to do. I’ve recruited some folks to play along (I think), just as I was pulled in. Here we go.
Five Problems with Social Media
How ironic, seeing that social media is where I found this challenge, but there’s plenty of them. Sorry this will be a bullet pointer rather than an actual blog.
- Know-it-nothings: We’ve all run across this person, whether the person is on Facebook or sits next to you at work. He claims to know everything about every topic ever presented, but really just talks out of his ass (like Trump, you know?). And the KIN really hates to be called out on his bullshit. Facebook, and to a lesser extent, Twitter, is his playground. And Facebook is where he thrives because so many people will take everything they read there as fucking gospel and then spread that shit like the plague. KINs on Facebook are part of the dumbing down of our society.
- Wizards: Not like the D&D kids, but fairly closely related to the KINs. These are the people who don’t care if they’re right or wrong, they’re gonna post that bullshit and stand behind it….on Facebook. If you met a wizard on the street, they’d likely be too chickenshit to spew their garbage to you in person, but, much like the Wizard in the Wizard of Oz, they have this great curtain to hide behind while telling themselves they’re tough or important or that their message should be heard. Fuck yinz guys.
- Unicorns and Glitter: 100% honesty here, I am guilty of this. It doesn’t matter how I try to spin it to myself, I’m still guilty. I post the happy shit, the pleasant shit, the shit that makes you laugh or smile. Personally, I don’t think that my friends want to hear about my cramps or constipation or any other less than awesome thing that’s going on in my life. But life’s not perfect, folks, even though that’s what we portray to our friends. Remember life before social media? When you really talked to your friends face-to-face? So they knew that shit wasn’t perfect even without you changing your profile picture to the biggest fucking smile you have? Your FRIENDS. Not your Facebook friends. The real people who know you and care about if you’re having the best day ever or the worst day of your life and want to hear about both. Social media slowly but surely takes that away, if we let it, of course. Go call your BFF. Call, not text!
- Savages: Again, keeping it 100, I’m not going to sit here and say that I haven’t laughed at a comment that was “savage”, but it’s like it’s become a goal. Let me see what I can say about this that is the most horrific and insulting thing that will still get a laugh because we’re all morally bankrupt. Why can’t our goal be to be the anti-savage? Let’s start saying things that lift people up instead of tearing them down. I know we won’t because we’re already 30 miles down that highway to hell and there’s no stopping us now.
- Timesuck : I spend waaaaaaay too much time on social media. Time I could be using to read, or write, or work on the Mighty Methed Out Power Strippers (ha, look them up on Facebook), or doing yoga, or exercising or stretching, or so many other things. I look at Twitter every now and again, and Instagram less more and more, but Facebook, that fucker, just caresses my soul. One minute it’s 7:30 and the next minute it’s 9:00. I really should delete the app from my phone. Hey, maybe I will. For this month. If I can make it that long. I need rehab.
And none of this is April Fool’s. But this, my friends, is definitely the end of this post. See you tomorrow.