A little while ago, a friend posted the message, Just a heads up: Facebook is not your diary though. As someone who studies social media from an academic standpoint, I wonder where that idea comes from. The research shows people use FB for a range of purposes: autobiographical, promotional, community-building, to promote causes or individuals, to attack causes or individuals: the list goes on. The truth is, although we are all certainly entitled to preferences over what we read, who we connect with and so forth, nobody gets to say what Facebook definitively is. Why am I making a big deal about this? Because often, the same people who make statements about what Facebook is are people who are fighting political fights to make sure there are multiple definitions of what marriage is, what a appropriate body type is, what a real job is, and so forth. I want to put an idea out there, which is this: whenever you find it difficult to understand why other people are so stubborn in their views about what things are, or should be, you might think about your own affective triggers in areas where you are sure there is a right and a not-right way to do things. We all have a right to preferences, and we all need to work on ways to exercise those preferences in ways that dont frame them as universal. This is hard work, which is why I think working on tiny things like Facebook norms or chewing noises or dress choices are great places to start. Lord knows Ive got my own shit to work on, much of which I post here, in autobiographical form. For me, FB is a diary, and although I get why others dont want to treat it that way, thats my reality. Now, for lots of reasons, I dont think thats the right approach for lots of people, and believe everything should be written and read with an eye toward social and professional fallout. In short: Im not saying people should use FB like I do. Im saying I am not here for universal statements about what social media vehicles are, are should be. I dont think you should be either. Not because you are nice, but because making room for other peoples social practices (if they dont cause harm) is an example of the personal as political. Thank you for reading this.
Posted on: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 16:57:11 +0000
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