In anonymity

  I do enjoy Facebook. I enjoy the premise of it more than the actual platform though, isn't that strange? I have connected and reconnected with people from my past, old classmates and co-workers. I've "met" a few new friends as well. I developed a habit of posting a general Good Morning every day in that block asking, what's on your mind. I'm pleased with the response I get every day from a small group of people that acknowledge that hello. I wouldn't call them followers though, just like minded people. Yeah, we'll all a little crazy. I've had a few come and go, just like in real life. I've had a few of my newer "friends" that passed away and I feel that loss as readily as I do old friends. 

 The one thing that I have noticed on Facebook is that it is far easier to get into an argument than a conversation. I guess it is just human nature. It is far easier to simply defend your position rather than explore new avenues. I'm just a bit surprised at how quickly conversations turn into brawls on Facebook, with others joining in, uninvited. I view that as a drive by. I can't help but think if we were having that conversation, in person, that person wouldn't have just barged into the discussion. I'm not bothered by what side they take in all of that, I'm bothered that they simply intruded on my conversation. I'm told that it's "their" page sometimes, whatever that is supposed to mean, when I leave a comment and have no business commenting. I get it, there is no expectation of privacy on any social media platform, I agree with that 100%, but I still expect others to be polite. It's not polite to jump into a conversation uninvited. 

 Setting that aside I will leave a comment or respond to someone else with more than one sentence, occasionally a short paragraph. The majority of the time the response will be a single word or perhaps a complete sentence. Very seldom does a conversation begin in that way on Facebook. At least that is my observation. I realize we have no way of knowing what is going on with the other person when we are posting. That's further complicated by location and time zones. Hard to talk about the weather when you don't know the weather, know what I mean? So casual conversation is difficult to find. For me that is often what I'm hoping for when posting. My thinking is that was the original intent, casual conversation, perhaps with a bit of anonymity. It is that anonymity that has opened the proverbial pandora's box. Polite conversation has been pushed aside, it's either a quick hello or an assault! That's not in all cases but I think it is far more common than in real life. And let's face it, Facebook isn't real life. 

 Perhaps there is a psychological reason for all of this. Could it be the desire to establish dominance? There are those with that need to be "correct" all the time. Now I understand that completely, no one wants to be wrong or appear weak. But to me, conversation doesn't require that element at all. A conversation is just sharing your thoughts or feelings on whatever topic with another person. In the end it isn't about proving the other person wrong, it is about listening to what they had to say. You are under no obligation to agree with that. They are under no obligation to agree with you either. 

 Whenever someone begins naming their "accomplishments" to establish their superiority the conversation has taken a turn. That is most often the first blow landed. I have a "degree" therefore I am superior to you. That degree is supposed to be proof positive, undeniable evidence and can not be questioned. The same holds true with any other documentation you wish to provide. I have years of experience! 

 On my profile page I entered, studied at the University of Life, as a tongue in cheek thing. It's amazing how many people have thrown that back at me, making some sarcastic remark about that, expecting it to somehow make me feel inferior in some way. I just smile, shrug my shoulders at that and continue on. I also listed having worked at Save-A-Lot and have had remarks about that as well. And I respond, what's your point? The thing is, in most cases the others on Facebook don't know you. That's true even when you are talking with those that knew you fifty years ago but haven't seen you since. We all change a bit over the years. And I do think as kids in school we didn't know each other all that well anyway.  We were all in our own little groups (cliques) based on our interests. You had the smart kids, the wreathy kids, the athletes, the musicians, the in-crowd, and many other little sub-divisions of all that. More so everyday I'm beginning to realize why I wasn't hanging out with those folks in the first place. Maybe we all have this inherent sense about that, a sort of innate ability to determine that.

  You know it is rather ironic when you think about it. Social media was created to bring people together, to share their experiences, knowledge and insights. That is far from what has developed. I remember years back when everyone on Facebook was farming and developing their friends list. I heard about those people attempting to gain the largest friends list and trying to include celebrities on their list. It's my feeling that people began, shall we say, to get creative with their profile pages. Photographic evidence also became quite suspect. 

 I can't speak for anyone else and what is happening on their Facebook page but as for mine, it is mostly Good Morning, a few photographs I post, and various posts from people I know. The ads dominate the "newsfeed." I'm still trying to figure out just what is "my page?" The one that no one else is allowed to post to without my permission. Isn't it the same one you have, that one where it is impolite to post my comments without being invited? I guess I can just block everybody, that's an option provided by Facebook, but what would be the point? I can just talk to myself. You know that is why I began posting Good Morning, to be social. It is social media, right? Well, it's a society. I still enjoy it. I'm not trying to be anonymous, I'm just being social. There is safety in anonymity, until you are exposed.