Politics and Social Media

Saturday, June 11, 2016
Yesterday over at Facebook I posted the following status:

Now that the candidates for POTUS have been selected, my feed is chock-full of half-truths, unsubstantiated accusations, nasty memes, crazy ideas, name-calling, innuendo, and other forms of substandard communication.

This year, I'm going to try very hard to stay above the fray on social media, although I may choose to engage in activism in some other fashion. After all, no one ever changed their mind about a candidate or an issue because someone re-posted something on Facebook. 
I'm also going to be "hiding" things with reckless abandon. Mostly I try to hide the source material (I really don't want to see anything at all from anyone employed by Fox News or any organization sponsored by the Koch brothers, for example), but if the only thing a friend posts is political claptrap, then I'm not above hiding them for the duration.

I'm making an effort, in my small corner of social media, to return it to a means of maintaining social connections, not a mechanism for bitching about our political process, our candidates, the two-party system, how Hillary is a criminal, how Trump is a reprobate, and why the "personhood" amendment is a just a really swell idea. That's why I have a blog, and I'll make an effort to limit my own ranting to that space.

I'm pretty good about checking my feed, but if I miss a piece of news, it's probably because I'm paring it down ruthlessly.

RUTHLESSLY, Y'ALL.
I'm really committed to this idea. I'm already sick to death of looking at other people's "re-posts" about the dastardly deeds of the opposition (with little evidence or investigative journalism to back it up). And I don't want to be a hypocrite, so I'm going to refrain from subjecting my social media community to the same.

So instead, YOU ALL get to be the recipient of my own half-truths, unsubstantiated accusations, nasty memes, crazy ideas, name-calling, innuendo, and other forms of substandard communication. I figure that for whatever reason, you all come here voluntarily, and if my ranting starts to irk you, you can always leave. Or tell me I'm full of shit. Or tell others I'm full of shit. Or any combination that suits you.

So buckle up, Hot Chicks and Smart Men - there's going to be an uptick in political commentary here at HCDSM. I'll try to source my material appropriately, but I do have a day job (and a volunteer night job), so please note that my standards of journalistic integrity will lay somewhere between the National Enquirer and the Washington Post.

Let's rumble!

2 comments:

Gristle McThornbody said...

"Now that the candidates for POTUS have been selected..." Thehy havent been SELECTED, they've been BOUGHT! If you think Bernie is out of the running, you've goyt anothrt thing coming!1! When Hitlery FINALLY gets arrested and charged for her emails, you'l; be glad Bernie is there to pick up her mess!

Sorry, Janiece, I couldn't resist. I'm a Bernie supporter, but I'm so damn sick of politics already that I could puke up a toe. I don't do the Book of Faces, but I've muted almost everyone on Twitter so that I'm in a little echo chamber of my own opinions. I know, very mature, but it helps keep me sane.

On the plus side, my MIL is STILL sending me emails about how heinous Obama is. I'm worried about what she'll do for a hobby once he's out of office. Her last one was about the evils of socialism, even though I don't suppose she's quite ready to give up her Social Security check or her Medicare. I'm sure if she bothers to vote, it will be for the white guy who has the guts to say all the things she believes. Blech.

MAW said...

I have ruthlessly and with abandon hiding posts on a range of issues lately. It's very therapeutic, even just the act of clicking "hide" feels good....