Feb. 4 marks the 12th anniversary of Facebook. With over 1.6 billion users, Facebook has changed our lives. The very popular app hasreshaped how we communicate with each other on a daily basis — both positively and negatively.
I joined Facebook a few years ago as I wanted to reconnect with people I had lost touch with. However, over time, Facebook has becomemore than a connection app — I get recipes, ideas, news and many laughs from it. I even have a Councillor Facebook page where I postinformation pertaining to Castlegar as it’s an effective and efficient mode of communication. But I never mix the two together as nomatter what some might think, municipal leaders do have private lives outside of politics and no, we don’t have to join any or allFacebook groups out there.
Over the years, I have listened to the debate over Facebook from other parents, co-workers, friends and families. So I thought I would domy own non-scientific study and asked my online friends about Facebook. Here’s what I found out:
Pros: Sharing of photos, recipes, jokes, keeping in contact with friends and family. Many have met new friends from it, have been able toplan events through it and learn new things. One individual even said it allowed him to reach a global audience to market his books. Whenused right, Facebook can be a very powerful resource.
Cons: Many individuals noted that Facebook has become an addiction. Individuals noted that there is far too much negativity, racism, hatespeech, self-empowered keyboard warriors, constant spamming of lies, false posts and obnoxious individuals saying things they wouldnever say in person.
In fact, researchers in the US found that more than three-quarters of people surveyed said they shared good things on Facebook, while 36per cent said they share bad things. Not surprisingly, another study showed that the more someone uses Facebook, the less satisfied theyare with their life.
As with any discovered technology, the impact of the end product is largely in the hands of the user. We are, after all, only human and asa result we took our friendships online. First we began emailing each other. Then we switched to texting, followed by friending each otheron Facebook and finally tweeting our thoughts out in 140 characters or less on Twitter. Face to face communication is so 1980s!
In theory, online social networking was supposed to make us closer. In many ways it has — we’ve been able to reconnect and connectwith a variety of people, share photos, life journeys and successes. However, Facebook is also a breeding ground for passive-aggressivebehaviour. Suddenly things you wouldn’t say out loud or to a person’s face are okay to say online because you’re sitting behind acomputer screen and no matter what you type, people believe it, even if they have no clue what or who you are commenting about. This istruly the ugly part — the number one item that people dislike the most about Facebook.
So what’s the solution to using social media better? To start with, we need to think about our own behavior by asking ourselves, “Is thissomething I would want someone to tell me about or do I know this is 100 per cent truthful?” If the answer is no, then don’t comment orrespond. Often responding negatively or against something creates a public war where no one wins. Secondly, you can reward positivebehaviour by responding only when they write something interesting and not respond when it’s obnoxious or you believe to be untrue.
So to end, I’m reminded of an old adage that rings true in the online world just like the real world: You become more like the people youhang out with. If you are positive, kind and have something to say, there is a tremendous opportunity to build strong relationships. If youare negative and annoying, it will have an adverse effect and people will unfriend you and you will disappear back into cyberspace as faras they are concerned.
So think before you type or post!
