Social Media

Almost a year ago I set up this website with the intention of making a place where I could make public commentary on things – events, people, news, movies, kitty cats, whatever struck me.

I wanted to be like local newspaper columnist Lee Cataluna and say what I think as a way to get people think more deeply about what’s going on in the community, celebrate neighbors whose deeds are noteworthy yet not significant enough to be reported in the news. Her humor is insightful, local, intelligent, often biting and more often than not, profound. To date, my entries have not been ala Lee Cataluna. I discovered that I am reluctant to make observations about inept politicians or poke fun at my community or people in it because I don’t want to say something that may come back and bite me in the ʻōkole at an inopportune time.

I recently attended a training session on social media and how nonprofit agencies can use it to advance their mission. It was very informative and even exciting to think about how all these instant internet communication tools can help an organization achieve its goals. This brought me back to thinking about why I am not a particularly active participant in developing an internet social media network.

Here’s what I think about social media: I don’t see the point of reporting one’s every move unless one has a tremendously big ego (if one just got food poisoning at a certain restaurant or witnessed an incredible event or is reporting what the newspapers and network news fails to cover, then reporting it is definitely useful); I don’t understand why one would want the world to know that they are fixated on Hooters girls unless they have no life otherwise (hmm, do I really know anyone like that?); I don’t understand why someone wants to be my friend on Facebook when they don’t know me and I don’t know them (although I did appreciate all the birthday wishes from so many strangers).

So here it is, my first Lee Cataluna-esque commentary. For what it’s worth, my kitty cats have gotten bigger and are hilarious when they’re not being annoying, and I’m about to go out to dinner with my mother and brother.



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