Judiciousness

This is inspired by a friend's post that I shared, then deleted on FB today. Mainly because it needed further discussion.

My FB feed is much like my blog: all over the map. I post politics, gay rights, recipes, food and kitty pictures, rants, funny stuff, brags about my kids, and basically, just about anything that strikes my fancy. I'd love to post more political stuff, but knowing that I have friends whose opinions I respect on the opposite side of the aisle, I limit myself on that front-there could be a ton more. Instead, I'll like and comment when a friend shares something.

Lately, though, I've noticed a tendency and R's rant today just drove home that it isn't just me. We have 30 mutual friends, but the trend isn't just those people, so maybe it is more widespread: the tendency to spam the feed with one topic. In her case, it is mostly 'rescue this animal' and religion posts. In mine, there is an overabundance of these, plus a heavy political slant (and it's one I agree with, to be honest).

As the title says, judiciousness. The application of common sense or good judgement to practical matters. Or in this case, the conversation you create via social media.

If you were going out for a lunch date with a friend, would all you discuss is one topic? Ed and I have a formerly close friend who only had three topics of discussion. Every phone conversation would be those three topics and nothing else. Eventually, we drifted apart-and I understand that this was the same for friends who also live near this person-she did the same when others would meet her for lunch.

R's rant is one I agree with: I love animals and would have a houseful if I could. Common sense guides my desire to be a responsible and loving pet owner, as I'm sure it does others. The 25 people in my feed who are posting nothing but pet rescue notices don't realize that 10 to 20 posts times 25 people is annoying and leads to hiding them from the feed.

As R said, I want to know more about YOU, not the animals that I would be irresponsible in taking in. I do not have the time, nor the space, to care for them properly. To me, it's like that Sarah MacLachlan SPCA public service commercial on non-stop repeat. Those posts do not compel a non-animal lover to instantly go rescue one, and it just makes responsible animal lovers feel horrible that they cannot rescue them all.

The other topic R ranted about, religion, isn't as bad on my wall, as I have way more non-Christian, agnostic, and atheist friends than she does-but it's the same concept. Those who believe choose to follow the faith they have in the way they see fit.



Finally, this bullshit (which was posted ON R's wall) has GOT to stop:


Full disclosure: A friend did this one to annoy R after she'd posted her rant.

Posts like this one sent her over the edge. Frankly, I can't blame her. Liking or sharing pictures like this will NOT change what happens in life, nor will bad luck befall you if you don't. I recently suggested hiding people from her feed, as I've resorted to doing, because this is just too much.

How do you handle the problem of friends who only post one topic over and over?

Comments

Unknown said…
I did the passive agressive thing, which makes me feel a little bit dirty. I did at one time unfriend them on facebook, because I do not have to be friends with everyone, but was talking into refriending them a later time. So made a special list, I called "restricted". People on my restricted list still see me as on their friends list, but other than profile pic changes, they do not see anything I post. I also make sure I am not following what they post, so most of what they share, I just don't have to see.

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