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I think Facebook users have so much drama because we don't really want to be that connected to everyone in our lives. High school/college peers. Coworkers. Family. Extended family.
Because then we have to listen and deal with their opinions every time we log in.
Because then we have to listen and deal with their opinions every time we log in.
We treat social media like our "third" place, which means not our home or our office/school. Your third place is where you want to get away from your 1st and 2nd places.
The TV show "Cheers" is a good example of a third place. Starbucks tries to make them your third place.
The TV show "Cheers" is a good example of a third place. Starbucks tries to make them your third place.
Your third place is supposed to be relaxing and fun.
But here Facebook go helping us connect to everyone we have EVER had in our 1st and 2nd places. And puts them all in one place. And then throws social media in the mix.
No one wants this.
But here Facebook go helping us connect to everyone we have EVER had in our 1st and 2nd places. And puts them all in one place. And then throws social media in the mix.
No one wants this.
This is why we find value and have fun in other platforms like IG, Twitter, and TikTok. Because we self select who we want to follow, and many of those times those are people we don't know in real life. Because we want a third place.
All platforms optimize for engagement because they want you to stay on their site/app. So they feed you content that you engage with. On places like IG, Tik Tok, Twitter that will usually be things that interest you.
The more things that engage you, the more the app will serve content similar to it to you.
So what engages you on a platform full of people you have not entirely self selected to be in your feed?? In a space where you want to just relax? A BUNCH OF ARGUING. THAT'S WHAT.
So what engages you on a platform full of people you have not entirely self selected to be in your feed?? In a space where you want to just relax? A BUNCH OF ARGUING. THAT'S WHAT.
Leaving lots of comments and liking or not liking posts sends signals which is great if you follow people you really like or love. But when it's that one friend from high school you didn't know grew up to be your political opposite, you're like WTF is this?
This experience is most likely to happen on FB than any other platform because in its early days FB was only on college campuses. Then high schools. Then workplaces. Then everywhere.
So we all have these legacy collections of people from our 1st and 2nd places when all we really want is to log onto facebook for a 3rd place experience. 
THEN, Somehow somewhere Facebook ruined democracy and killed journalism.
The end, thank you for coming to my Ted talk.
The end, thank you for coming to my Ted talk.
haha jk facebook hire me thanks.
disclosure: this thread came about because I've been avoiding logging into FB for 3 wks bc a HS friend is incessantly posting about why black lives don't matter and I have had it. I don't even want to argue. I just want to log in and not have to debate for my own humanity.
And so I thought about how did I get here? Oh because FB went on a mission to CONNECT THE WORLD! And some years ago I wanted to reconnect with a friend I used to enjoy in my teens.
Gee, thanks Facebook.
Gee, thanks Facebook.
