Think before you click “Like”…..

Facebook fishing

[feys-boo k] [fish-ing]

Definition: When someone posts a status on Facebook that is very open ended or mysterious in the hopes of getting people to comment on their post. It is often used to gain sympathy from the posters friends.

It used to be, back in the good old days, we would only get to hear about our passive aggressive friends problems when we ran into them in person. Nowadays, we are lucky enough that we get to read about them – and everyone else in the world’s – problems on our social media feeds.

What is it about the Internet that offers people the comfort of complaining to literally the world about thier daily – and often mundane- lives? Does everyone in your inner and outer circle and Timbuktu really need to know that you are making chicken Marsala for dinner?

I was watching a taped show of Dr. Oz last night (I told you about how amazing my DVR is that it picks up on my Reality show watching habits and once in a while throws in a talk show just for fun) and he was talking to a dermatologist about common skin problems. He asked the audience to raise their hands if they have skin issues. One woman got up and told the Dr. that she has red bumps around her pubic area. She proceeded to describe them and also admitted that she is too embarrassed to talk about this problem with her own doctor. (can’t say I blame her after hearing about them in gross detail)

I could not help myself from wondering: is she really that oblivious to the fact that she is not only sharing this personal information – the very same info that she was too “embarrassed” to talk about with her own doctor- with the world– on national television? Or perhaps, more likely, she just wanted to see herself on TV?

I

I suppose it was the latter, but nevertheless it reminded me of all the posts I have been seeing in my FB feed lately; you would think they were coming from kindergarteners the way they are written.

For example: “ My life sucks. Apparently I am a terrible person and have no friends”. (*This is a real post I read the other day from a woman age 45.)

The chain of comments that followed were somewhat along these lines:

“I’m your friend – love you!”

Or

“Hang in there. It will get better”.

All very nice and encouraging, but it made me wonder what the real reason was behind her Facebook fishing.

Was she merely trying to reach out to her network and let them know she is feeling under appreciated?

Or was she trying to instigate something bigger?

A chain reaction of lovers? Or a chain reaction of haters?

It Could go either way when framed in that way.

Which made me think even more….

Does social media give us the platform to write what we really think yet are too afraid to say out loud?

Lesson Learned:

Pay attention- this is an important one: Don’t post what you wouldn’t have the courage to say out loud to someone’s face or to more than just the person you intend to direct it to. Think before you click send. Teach this lesson to your children and then Share, Like and Comment!