Facebook

[thesummerqueen]

It's really trendy to hate on things like FB because it's easier to be shitty about the platform and the people on it than to consider the benefits it provides and that many of those random people might be intelligent individuals. It's a great way to get your own self-righteous self-esteem boost without doing dick all to earn it.

The FB group for my org provides a closed forum for local atheists to network, vent, find solidarity, community, volunteer opportunities, free stuff, sell stuff, patronize local atheist businesses, learn new things, find friends, etc. That's just what one group provides for one subset of people. Now imagine that for just about any topic or subgroup of people, there are groups like this lending support and information. There are pages devoted to announcements from local law enforcement agencies or community announcements for your neighborhood, or even your workplace. There are science and history pages putting out informative posts. I follow photographers who post their work and tutorials. My friends' businesses all have pages. One example is my friend who gives guided history and ghost tours of Charlotte - every time she posts a photo (and sometimes they're ones I've taken for her!) she tells a story about our locale.

I have friends who are funny and friends who are philosophers and friends who are incredibly insightful about history and politics. I have friends who are artists professionally and hobbyists who post their work for all to enjoy. I have fellow photog friends who post scandalous selfies and we all giggle and delight in sharing our sexuality and pride in ourselves. I belong to a costume group where we pool together our knowledge of sewing. I follow podcast pages for updates and juicy tidbits when the voice actors post in-character. I follow schnoodle and poodle groups for dog training tips and support when dealing with a head-strong breed. I have friends around the world who post updates - so useful when all this shit is happening in Europe. I'm friends with many people here from AF and we can share just a little bit more about our every day lives and I've come to appreciate those people a whole lot more. It's another facet added to the exchanges we all have that don't really have a place on this forum.

I take photos of amazing food I get because sometimes my friends read the description and try to make the meal themselves. I have friends who follow my beer posts for ideas of things to try. I have friends who follow my dog photos because why the fuck wouldn't you follow Kíli? I have friends who follow my rants and my geek posts and my selfies and my clothing posts. Literally everyone is there for something. THIS ISN'T ABOUT NARCISSISM - I'M DOING IT RIGHT BACK TO THEM. It's about an exchange of ideas and values and experiences.

You don't like what you're exchanging?

FIX IT.

And maybe check to see what kind of content you're generating before shaking your finger at everyone else for being a putz.