how I have been feeling

[not-hothead-yet.livejournal.com]

This is 90% of why I left Facebook and might not go back




http://wondermark.com/c1176/

Comments

[nutmeg-44.livejournal.com]

I completely understand this feeling.

[kirstennnnnn.livejournal.com]

I feel you. I recently had to get a grip because I reacted so passionately to what someone of a differing political view was posting to be inflammatory. I had to take many steps back and ask myself if aggravation was why I was coming there, or if it was to check up on my friends. Was this guy really my friend, and either way, did his opinion really matter in the progress of my life? I had been telling myself that I was listening and engaging to try to have intelligent conversations about complex issues and gain greater understanding. But, all I was understanding is that there are a hell of a lot of small-minded people. And, there are many more that have come to conclusions that are valid for them but that I might never understand within my own experiences. Was the fighting increasing my ability for compassion or making me have a small mind?

[not-hothead-yet.livejournal.com]

I will admit that I whittled my Flist down to a reasonable amount of folks that I mostly agree with socio-politically and therefore had many times enjoyed light discussion and debates about finer points. But the second I stepped away from those pleasant exchanges, it became free-for-all in either directions. I left several liberal groups because I wasn't liberal "enough" and got tired of being dogpiled for trying to establish nuanced views. Once I started studying Economics in school and got past "principles" level I discovered I couldn't talk to people anymore. Their basic-level understanding (if taht) of economics prevented bringing deeper understanding into the conversation - having a little knowledge *is* a dangerous thing... for me.

[immemor.livejournal.com]

My barber usually asks: What are your plans for the weekend and/or upcoming holiday, did you see the game last night, or how about this weather? I’d probably enjoy a less pedestrian conversation. But I’d settle on just having him shut up while I relax.

[drivebyluna.livejournal.com]

This has been the one upside of grad school: I'm simply too busy to read all the drivel that most people post on facebook.

[peristaltor.livejournal.com]

I hear ya. In other news, I think I might have tamed the ad beast.

Ya know how when you scroll F#c$Book you see "news" from your friends, and occasionally an ad slips in there, just as if it were a "news" item? I made an extra effort to shut down the browser once I saw one of those.

The other day I was bored enough to return, and saw no ads.

Eli Pariser's book The Filter Bubble puts it nicely. F@c%Book regularly filters out "friends" who piss you off enough to get you to leave. I believe they figured out that ads did this to me, and have removed them in the hopes, probably, of getting me to post more stuff. That way more "news" becomes available for my "friends", news that can be sandwiched with ads.

[moonshaz.livejournal.com]

I stay away from Facebook for the most part, because I don't want to get embroiled in the kind of arguments I hear about all the time. The only reason I even keep my account is to stay in touch with relatives I would lose track of otherwise. And since they are all more conservative than I am, talking to them about anything more controversial than what they had for lunch today is a minefield, so I barely talk to them anyway--so I don't really know what Im even doing there, lol.

I actually kind of hate FB, but I can't bring myself to completely sever ties with it for some reason.