Tag: facebook

Dramatic reactions

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We will continue to be angry with ourselves for being made into fools. Foolish things will continue to distract us from the real harm.

I almost posted this as a response to someone's (yet another person's) Facebook post about the video with the hawk and the snake.

But Facebook isn't the place for being told to care about other things. It's there to care about everything. Everyone's opinion is valid about everything and Facebook sets its algorithm to show us posts we are more likely to agree with and confirm that opinion.

It brings us the video, encourages us to share it and then encourages us to rage against its makers for giving us something we found entertaining.

Now, more than ever, we have always been at war with Eastasia.

Like this if you hate cancer.

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an ad from Facebook for Facebook. It shows a cancer victim and the words "The toughest battles need the best of friends."Seriously, is Facebook trying to capitalise on cancer?

This is the new economy.

People who never voted for our government took to the streets yesterday to say how displeased we all are with the government rather than speaking to the people who did vote for the government and encouraging them to change their minds.

Meanwhile, we're encouraged to show we love someone with cancer, not by visiting them, but by connecting with them through the least amount of effort possible. So what? So Facebook can put "low-commitment compassion" as an attribute in my social graph?

Having an effect takes effort. It's easy to walk in the streets and wear a "Fuck Tony Abbot" badge, but difficult to actually engage the opposition in discourse that tries to change their mind by showing common ground.

It's easy to comment on someone's Facebook status that announces their cancer is in remission with a note of encouragement but it's hard to pick up the phone or visit and just listen to them complain about chemotherapy or just give them company in a time of need.

As humans we're going to have to start relearning the way we interact with people and develop a system in which we think about the consequences of our actions and whether or not they fit with our actual goals.

Don't be fooled by what is offered. There is no easy answer.

Facebook and why people are dumb idiots

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Facebook helps people be dumb

The advertising on Facebook discourages me from spending any time there because it gives me a window into the kinds of things people think will work for the Facebook audience. It makes me feel separate from the people on Facebook because there are things I find unacceptable that other people clearly just don't mind.

Terrible grammar is just one of those things.