The Perils of Facebook and Other Social Media Platforms #facebook #linkedin #google+

For one month I've studied my social media habits and I am not pleased. For one, I got into an argument with a friend over the difference between racism and humanitarianism. A mutual friend had posted some pics of ISIS in Iraq. The accompanying link was about the atrocities happening to a country we supposedly freed from dictatorship. I take issue with the treatment of women especially in Sudan, but the accompanying rein of terror by ISIS has them circumcising women and girls which disgusts me.

In any case, we misunderstood each other. She took the side of her definition of Muslim while I ranted on about the treatment of Muslim women not in America. Then I was accused of being racist because I did a bad thing by labeling them Americanized Muslims. *sob* As if being an American was a bad word which to some, I suppose, it is. That makes me sad. I thought immigrants to our country came because they wanted to be American. Guess that's not the case anymore and I showed my ignorance on the subject. 

I went on to study how much time I spent on social media which is a lot. At least according to my husband. My phone stayed near me all the time. It was there when I woke up and right next to me when I went to sleep. I watched my family get-togethers. There were times when the entire family was on their cell phone, the kids on their electronic games and no one was speaking to each other. I have pictures from the 4th of July to prove it. So, to prove to myself I can live without it, two weeks ago, I banned cell phone use after 6pm and before 9am. Yeah, yeah, I know it's not a lot, but baby steps can lead you forward if you let them. I found myself reaching for my phone whenever I was bored. It was then I realized it had taken the place of cigarettes. I used cigarettes to escape from being with people. No different than how I use Facebook now that I've quit smoking . It is a break away from my current life, but to be honest, all it does is embroil you in other people's lives.

Then I started to study my reaction to Facebook comments, likes and status'. Not good. If I didn't have enough likes or comments, I got depressed. I realized that my sense of well-being was interrupted by an electronic phone masquerading as a mental health disease.

*shudder*

In addition, I type fast so I know my conversations with others might appear like the upside of mania. Seriously, I can type words as fast as you speak them. It's a weird talent, but what the hey. I used HootSuite a couple of times, but that didn't feel real. It's a social media platform that allows you to post to several social media outlets at one time. It keeps your name out there, but it isn't real time and it feels like cheating.

Then I wondered how many times I posted pics of my kids/grandkids that nobody wanted to see. I thought of the postcards people post--many of which are priceless and had me laughing out loud. Now, those are fun, but still  I wondered, how many people is Facebook depressing?

As an author I had to review how many books I sold because I'm on Facebook. None would be my guess, but there is no way to tell. I have an author page that I don't promote because it costs money. Besides, do the likes really matter? 

I love to use Facebook for keeping up with family and friends, but if I keep pissing people off I won't have any left. Maybe it's better to keep in touch by phone instead. I did ask my friend if she was angry and she said no, but that was before the scathing post she left me. She called me sweetie. Yes, you got that right. And so did my husband. He is still calling me sweetie, a nomenclature I will carry for the rest of my life.

I also like Facebook to keep up with the changes in Crohn's disease. I have met many people who are just like me and that is such a blessing since the disease itself is rather rare. Or at least it used to be--thank you Monsanto for GMO foods.

I did find that I liked Twitter MUCH better than Facebook for meeting new people. For one, I have a thousand or so followers and if those followers retweet something I put out there, I make a lot of new friends with the same interests I have. Plus, if I throw on a hashtag, I get right to the people I want to speak with.

I like my blog because I can stay on top of current topics like my battle with Crohn's disease. As an aside, I can't thank people enough when they post or shoot me a contact form saying one of my posts helped them in their battle. It is a serious upper on some very down days. (((hugs))) I also like it to announce new books, reviews, book blasts and the like.

I'm not done with my experiment on social media, but it is leaving me with a few questions...

1. Do the cons outweigh the pros?
2. Can you  maintain a friendship just by posting, commenting, messaging and liking? I may do a poll on this one.
3. Is is an ego trip, where people search for their fifteen minutes of fame? Some of those u-tube videos leave me wondering.

I will be pondering those questions for the next week or so. In the meantime, thanks for stopping by today.