Today I was faced with a decision that I've had to make a lot lately--whether or not to "unsubscribe" from someone on Facebook. It is basically unfriending them without them knowing it because their name stays in your list, no feelings get hurt, and yet you don't have to see their posts.I'm on Facebook a lot...A LOT. It is a fun way to stay in touch with family and friends who live all over the country. But what I really don't like are seeing posts fraught with profanity. It is like having dirt running down my screen. I don't like it, I don't want to read it, and I don't think it is funny. People fail to remember that what they post ends up on MY page. It ends up on all of their friends' pages.
The one time that I did mention my dislike for such things on posts, I got a lot of negative responses. "Facebook is a place where you should be able to post whatever you want, just unsubscribe," several people said. Well, fine, I will. In fact, one person, who used to be a really good friend, posted something so incredibly offensive that it led to me unsubscribing, then unfriending on Facebook, and then, unfortunately, unfriending him in real life.
Extreme, but we all make our own choices. Thanks for letting me vent. And if someone wants to unsubscribe from my posts, I tell them to go for it. You make your page the way you want it, and I'll do the same to mine.
And no, I am not down to about 5 friends that I do subscribe to. I really do love my Facebook friends!
Wow, I feel better.
6 comments:
My personal feeling is that they can say what they need to on their FB page, but I can moderate mine. Religion, political, nasty rants are not my style. I have unfriended a few times myself. It just comes with the territory.
On another note: how did you keep your blogger set up? Mine changed and I am not happy. I am thinking of switching to Wordpress.
I agree! Funnily enough, this post generated tons of responses on Facebook of all places. Happily, they were a lot more positive than last time.
I agree with you Kristie...oddly, on the news tonight they said the Supreme Court is reconsidering whether to continue to fine TV programs for profanity and nudity...there is a possibility they would allow it...can you imagine...stuff that comes into your house being allowed like that? I agree...if people want that in their house or screen, as long as it doesn't go into others' homes or screens...so I can unfriend or do whatever...but the TV? A kid could be home with mom busy, or outside or shopping, and it would all be there for all little eyes and ears...not good.
I agree with Joan. Lots of people view it as their "right" to post whatever they want (indecent, profane or otherwise), but that's definitely no reason to let it filter onto your page by default. Granted, this opinion comes from someone who isn't even on Facebook at all (I know - gasp!), but I guess I don't think it's that much different than an in-person situation. You probably wouldn't continue to hang out with someone who swore constantly, so why do it in the virtual world?
Facebook, Youtube, blogs and any other place that you can make your comments either anonymously or at least without having to look someone in the eye are useful in that they let you look at the soul of a person. What a person says when they think they cannot be looked at or judged tells you how they really think inside their hearts. At least then you know and can make a judgement how you want to continue a relationship with that person. It's true people should be able to say what they want on facebook. But it is so funny that they think just because what they say is said into the void that other people have a responsibility to listen to it. I think the sum of all these faceless/anonymous comments and posts, if they could be quantified, would tell us the condition of our world.
I didn't know about unsubscribe, but I am happy to have found out!
Amen, Sally, I think it does say a lot about the state of the world we live in today. I didn't include it on my post, but one of the things that amazes me is that a lot of them are parents.
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