... I think it might be time to go over some basic rules for the game of Facebook for the months ahead, especially as we get closer and closer to election day.
Rule #1: You get to do what you want on Facebook ... your wall is yours. You be you. Similarly, note that also means that I get to do what I want on Facebook ... because my wall is mine. I get to be me.
Rule #2: You don't get to tell others how to do their own Facebook. Because they get to be them (notice a theme here?) ... and they have the right to swing to the left ... or to the right ... or to be silent ... or to find themselves smack dab in the middle on issues. They can post food pictures, or daily selfies, or check-ins at places that only serve to fuel your FOMO, or memories via one of those apps, or pictures of abused animals, or game invites, or extreme political views ... or nothing at all. They get to be them.
Rule #3: Although, to be clear, you have the ability and the right to keep on scrolling. You do not HAVE to comment. You do not even have to like (or love, haha, wow, sad or angry). You should never feel pressure to do so. It's not mandatory. If an individual's self-worth is only made up of the aggregate total of notifications he or she receives, he or she needs to get to a psychiatrist, post-haste.
Rule #4: You are not obligated to be anyone's friend nor are they obligated to be yours. This includes family. both near and far, friends from the world before Facebook (a world that is harder and harder to even remember), co-workers and colleagues, etc. etc.
Rule #5: That being said, maybe don't be SO quick to unfriend someone right away. I will admit it here and now ... I'm friends with some folks on the Facebook because I believe in the adage "keep your friends close, but your enemies closer"; I'm friends with some folks on the Facebook because I have a psychology degree and I want practice in diagnosing people with mental illness; I'm friends with some folks on the Facebook because if you only are friends with people who think like you and have your same background and upbringing then you can end up in a bubble and lose sight of the dangers in the real world; I'm friends with some folks on the Facebook because I want to go on TV after they snap and talk about how I saw the signs in their social media presence. (And now, Facebook friends of mine, you get to decide if you belong to any of those categories.)
Rule #6: Beware the imps. Some folks Facebook specifically to cause trouble. Some folks do it some of the time. Some folks do it all of the time. I do it when I want to (see rule #1 above). Bottom line ... don't fall for it. Unless, just maybe, behind their impishness, they are trying to make a point and you are clever enough to see through a status update's face value and experience it on the different levels in which it was offered. And then congratulate yourself, because you belong to the category of most evolved.
Rule #7: Don't be a troll. Your comments may not be welcome -- especially if that which you have to add is of the Debbie Downer variety. (Wah-waaaaah.) Don't take a happy post and turn it sad. Take a sad post and make it better. (If you're not singing "Hey Jude" right now, go ahead and unfriend me, 'cause we have nothing in common.) I'll wait. And while I'm waiting ... naaaaah nah nah nah nah nah naaaaah nah nah nah naaaaah ... [Bonus points for those of you who pictured Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston in a pool when you read "nothing in common". You folks should never unfriend me. Because ... we see each other!. {Bonus bonus points for those of you who read that last line in the voice of NeNe. We really should go out drinking together.}]
Rule #8: Never be afraid to take it to private message. Old people ... this one is especially for you. You may not understand, but when you post a message to someone's wall instead of sending it privately, EVERYONE sees it. So when you want an update about that rash in that private area, do it in a PRIVATE message. Please. And it's healed nicely, thanks for asking.
Rule #9: You actually can control what you see. You are not a victim. If Facebook is too hard for you, you can feed the algorithm and influence the artificial intelligence: you can choose the Valerie Cherish option (clicking "I don't want to SEE that" also known as "hide posts like this"), you can unfollow (by passive aggressively silencing them on your feed whilst still remaining friends), or, in extreme cases, you can block someone (I've done it five times ... for four people ['cause one guy had two profiles], and one of those people I don't even recognize any longer and I have no idea who she was in the first place). If you are going to take such a drastic measure, consider making it a spectacle. I'm still figuring out all the rules, but I hope to launch a purge in grand fashion in the next few years, drawing attention to those I'll drop on a monthly basis -- like a "purge of the month" award being given to those for whom I. Just. Can't. Anymore. Stay tuned ...
Rule #10: Have fun on the Facebook (but first see rules #1-9 above).
THE FACEBOOK TROLL (AND HOW TO HANDLE THEM):
http://www.cnet.com/news/five-types-of-facebook-trolls-and-what-to-do-with-them/
OLD PEOPLE ON FACEBOOK:
http://www.popsugar.com/tech/Funny-Screenshots-Old-People-Using-Facebook-Incorrectly-37119097#photo-37119101
YOU ARE NOT A VICTIM:
https://www.facebook.com/help/335291769884272/
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