Facebook

You know, there are some times when I don't like Facebook. Right now is one of those times. I won't go into any specifics, but I've noticed that Facebook makes it a lot easier to say denigrating things about other people, especially when one doesn't think they'll find out. One example that sticks in my mind is the application where one can anonymously answer questions about friends. One of the questions I remember from this application is: "Do you think so-and-so is beautiful?" I could answer this question 'no' and my friend, while being informed by the application that someone thinks she isn't beautiful, won't know who said it. This kind of thing doesn't exactly build up trust between friends. I had this application for a couple of weeks, not really knowing what it was all about, but deleted it when I found out that my friends thought less than complimentary things about me. That's not what provoked the current post, but it is one reason for why I sometimes don't like Facebook.

It's also just easier when you're online and not actually with the person to say things that could be taken the wrong way, or that are maybe a little bit insulting. Emoticons are an attempt to convey what is lost with facial expressions and body language, but they often just don't cut it. I know that I have found myself many times wondering whether something I'm writing via e-mail or on Facebook will come across the right way to the person, and wishing that I could just say it to them so that they could hear my tone of voice and see my face. It's also easier in a way to rattle off something a little denigrating on your keyboard than to say it to someone's face. The worst part about all of this is that with Facebook, most of what gets written is open to your whole circle of friends. If someone writes something about you or to you that is less than complimentary, tons of people will be seeing it. I think of it as e-gossip. The person is letting everyone know what he or she really thinks of you by publicly saying something negative about you on Facebook. It doesn't have to be much; just one comment let slip can carry a huge weight of meaning behind it. So please folks, watch what you say on Facebook and in other online communities. These kinds of things are what can betray people's trust in each other. And I don't want to lose trust and respect for any more of my friends (or should I say "friends"?).