I recently found myself uttering these words, “I know that I shouldn’t judge someone based on their Facebook post, BUT…” and I went on to share my opinion and thoughts that I had formed about a certain situation, based on someone’s Facebook post. I have found myself frustrated, wondering whether or not people actually understand how this makes them look. I’ve heard Facebook coined as the “highlight reel” of someone’s life. I think most people tend to post things that showcase the best things happening in their lives—something I myself am guilty of. As a result, society has become overwhelmed by others peoples “grass being greener”—when simply, if we just tend to our own grass, we will see how green it really is or how green it can become.
Generally, I find that I am careful of what I post—you won’t see me come out and post the moments I go head to head with my husband, when money is low, or the times I feel like I may be drowning in despair. In fact, I went through postpartum depression and far and few people knew. If you looked at my post at that time during my life I think you see a happy family who was just blessed with a healthy baby boy. Ironically, it was through this same social media outlet that I reached out to friends from college who I had lost contact with, and ended up being there through the process praying for me, checking up on me, and listening to me. It was within that same community that I found peace and comfort during such a turbulent time.
So what is it about Facebook that allures people to share all they share—accurate or not? Can one really get a true gauge on someone’s life? Should we take what we read seriously, or is it meant to be a lighthearted social media outlet for people to do that very thing—let them live out their lives as they choose. Yes, we know there are “creepers” out there and some people who will form judgments either way. But I am interested to find out why and how you use Facebook—and social media in general. So I invite you to help me understand social media and how you interact with it. Here is a little survey I created. Look forward to sharing my results I find.
