Following a Contentious Election, Many Say It���s Time for a Break from Facebook
In the wake of this most polarizing election, a lot of folks have decided they need to take a ���time out.��� From Facebook, that is.
The social media giant that now serves as the daily connective tissue for so many personal relationships outside of immediate family���found itself as the platform on which many of those relationships fell into disrepair as a result of the espousals on both sides of the political dividing line.
As USA Today reports, many people are now just plain worn out from all the digital shouting that took place for so many months, and they���ve simply decided to get off the Facebook train for a while.
Lydia Fielder, who identifies as a supporter of Donald Trump, has unfollowed nearly all of her 2,000-plus Facebook friends for the time being. Echoing the sentiments of so many others, Fielder says about the politically-based Facebook exchanges, ���None of it is positive. It���s exhausting, and the election seemed to last forever.���
Another user who has decided to take a break, Google executive Ben Galbraith, says, ���I'm seeing lots of posts that fill me with anger and require several moments of conscious relaxation to prevent me from writing something that I���ll regret. I���m tired of expending so much mental and emotional energy.��� Galbraith says he���s done with Facebook until 2017.
Clinton supporter Colleen Wickwire has an interesting take on the matter of diversity of thought, or, rather, the lack thereof, as it pertains to what she was regularly seeing on her feed from friends who share her political values:
���I���m realizing now that I was in a bubble ��� it was an utter shock to realize that so many people don���t share the ideals that were so prevalent in my Facebook feed and my real life social circle, of course. It felt like my entire worldview collapsed, and Facebook really contributed to that.���
In that way, I���m fortunate that my collection of Facebook friends represents a wide variety of viewpoints. While I once considered unloading those who did not see the world as I do, I had a change of heart, and although I won���t tolerate people who clearly think I���m scum for harboring a set of political values different from their own, I concluded that I was well-served by hanging with those who have a different perspective. I have been possessed by moments of vitriol, as well, but have resolved to be more philosophical, going forward, in the interest of harmony, as well as my own personal sanity.
If that fails, I can always ditch Facebook for a while.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
