Interesting opinion piece on Facebook

Yes, it's from the WashingtonTimes, and it's dated April 3rd, but bear with me here:

I was googling about Facebook and forums to see what others have written about the two, since FulhamUSA is a bit at a crossroads at the moment. And I really don't dig about just going to a Facebook group for many of the reasons above. <Plus, there is your full name there for all to see and realize that was a turn off the last time we addressed this issue 2 years ago.>

I just found it interesting because I agree with many of the points made by the author and have been thinking about this issue of discourse and civility on the internet for some time. I'm not sure it is just limited to Facebook though. Every time I read a news article with a comments section below it can be very scary what people write sometimes (from everything from the name calling to viewpoint of the comment). I think what I find most discouraging is that I think the author is correct when he states "Facebook has hardened the lines over ideas and philosophies rather than providing a forum of free-flowing discussion aimed at coming to a consensus, or at least an understanding of others’ points of views. Facebook may be reflecting the division of the country into red and blue spheres, but it seems as though the social network has only widened the anti-social fissures." Although I still just use Facebook for just keeping up with "friends," but in reality almost all my Facebook "friends" are either old coworkers, acquaintances, and sometimes people I have only "met" online. I very much prefer to meet-up with my true friends the traditional way, seeing them in person.

Have any of you noticed the above happening? Is the future of our political discourse forever caught in Facebook likes or retweets when someone approves of your thoughts on politics, and ad hominem attacks when one doesn't? And are most users online sticking to reading material or forums that validate their own beliefs while not even trying to understand why another person holds a differing viewpoint? To me it's scary and baffling how childish our society has become.

 

Joe, I guess you're right.

http://www.boston.com/sports/blogs/obno ... again.html

I can't imagine this person ever saying something like this out loud where there were people he wasn't familiar with, but to the whole world on twitter or Facebook? Yup. :roll:

But I guess the question may be did the art of polite discourse on politics ever exist?

 

Yes, it did, Senator. The onset of 24/7 "news" has pretty much ensured that it wont again. Facebook is also home to what really can only be called "hate sites" -- which exist only to produce incendiary photograph captions and rants. There's a huge market for them, but you can easily block them.

As far as using your own name, that's not really necessary. Among the people I see posting regularly on my friend's threads are such luminaries as "Tom Foolery" and "Jennie H. Whatserface."

In all the time I've been on FB, I've only been spooked enough to delete a "friend" once. I am used to being in crowds where my politics, my religion, my taste in sports is in a minute minority of my friends. It doesn't bother me, and I actually do have decent conversations with them -- mostly about non-political and non-religious topics, of course.

The major complaint I have about FB -- aside from the capricious way Facebook's overlords change features for no apparent reason -- is the same one I have with the Internet: incorrect information lives forever and is disseminated widely.