Thursday, October 28, 2010

Is Facebook a Place for Discussion?

I love Facebook. 

I mean, I love Facebook.  I love that I have been able to reconnect with old friends.  I love that I get to see everyone's pictures.  I love that I can see what my friends and family are doing just by logging on to this one site.  I think it is such a fantastic idea. 

Yes, I could live without all of the Farmville, Mafia Wars, "Who's Following You?" posts but for the most part, I can't think of anything I don't like about Facebook.

Except . . .

When someone's post or update starts some kind of all-out tongue-lashing.  I got into one of these yesterday and I still don't know how it happened.  I read the status of one of my friends and made one simple comment.  Others commented on it, as well, and I happened to agree with a couple of points of another reader so I "liked" her comment.  All of a sudden, I was on the receiving end of an AT4 litany of why I was wrong, why I was "holier than thou" and why I shouldn't be giving out advice.  Mind you, this was from a relatively close acquaintance.  As I sat there reading it, I became irate and I responded in kind.  This went back and forth a few times until both of us kind of cooled down and quasi-apologized.

While this little Facebook war was going on, I was telling Scott what happened.  Well, just as much as I love Facebook he hates it.  He thinks that Facebook is only a place for people to whine and complain about their lives or a place to be nosey.  He's told me for years that the problem with e-mail is that you cannot discern someone's tone by the e-mail.  I agree that this is true in e-mail and with comments on FB; however, I could tell by the way this guy was typing to me that he was pretty mad.

I am not one to get into political conversations either in person or on the computer.  I steer away from debating religion except when specifically asked.  I try not to get into any kind of hot topic subjects that will really ignite tempers which is why I'm still confused as to what happened.  I think, though, that since Facebook has replaced a lot of face-to-face communication that people should be able to debate a subject without getting so mad. 

Am I wrong?

BTW, just to let you in on what the subject was.  A pregnant friend of mine stated "Flu shot today:("  One girl before me made the statement that there are two very different schools of thought on flu shots while pregnant.  I then jumped in and said "I didn't get one with any of mine".  That is it.    I didn't go on and on about why you should or should not.  That was my statement.  Now, later on, I did get into with this person but it really ticked them off that I said that I didn't get one.

I'm still perplexed by it today.

4 comments:

  1. I agree thats a hard one because you just cannot tell people tone or body language. I have had the same problem too on there. I don't think you said anything that should have started a fight, you just stated that you never got one and that was then end of it. I think some people just get too heated, they need to save that energy for something more useful.

    Oh and for the record I didn't do the flu shot while pregnant either, well actually we don't do the flu shots at all!

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  2. April, I think when people put status updates about something controversial (like religion, politics, plan b, flu shots, etc), they are asking for everyone's opinions.

    And I applaud you that you told her that you basically survived without getting one. (I happen to agree with you)

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  3. Thanks, guys. It was just so odd to me because I didn't realize that flu shots could be so controversial. LOL I have heard about both sides of infant immunizations and links to autism but not the flu shot. I wasn't telling her NOT to get one, I just said that I didn't get one. When pushed, and after taking a total beating, I told them that my doctor didn't even mention getting one with any of my 3 pregnancies.

    I still don't get the flu shot and none of my children have had it, either.

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  4. I only get the flu shot because I work in a hospital & it is mandatory. My kids have never had the flu shot, but not because I am against them; we've just never really worried about the flu.. it is just one of those things that everyone gets from time to time. However, last year when H1N1 was rampant, they both had it so maybe I should have gotten it for them... LOL. But, to each his own, I say. I don't see how your comment should've made anyone mad. Seems to me like this person is a bit of a drama queen. Just my opinion.

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