Think before you post!
Facebook helps in direct advertising considering that at least nine out of 10 people each have an account. It is likewise a source of news and information to keep people abreast.
In the Philippines, the number of young people in social media far outweighs the number of adults in the social networks, and it is quite amazing to see how much information they post about themselves. Sadly, it has also become a venue for rants and angsts.
When Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes launched Facebook in 2004, little did they know that what they have created would translate to billions in a span of a few years.
From their Harvard dorm room, the group started introducing Facebook to other campuses, initially with very cautious users at the start. They thought of selling their company to a then established social media outlet, but Facebook grew rapidly once netizens saw how effective it was in reaching others, keeping in touch, and reconnecting with long lost friends.
In the Philippines there are about 30 million users of Facebook and according to Rappler, five Filipinos open a Facebook account every minute. So you can imagine how many people are connected to Facebook in our country considering our population size. It cuts across social structures and status.
I am not a very avid Facebook user but I browse through my friends’ posts and get a glimpse into their circles as well. I use FB to gather information, and find out trends. It is a good tool as I’ve said, though one has to use it with wisdom. Not all posted data are facts; so one must verify the source.
Sometimes, some unknowns get thrown into my view bar. While most adults post about their families, friends, and social activities that I find heartwarming, teenage accounts on the other hand, we can see the creeping in of narcissism as poised poses move from sweet to sultry.
My nephews and nieces would tease me whenever I would comment on a post they would make, which shows them baring more skin.
“What’s in the skin?” I would say? And they would just snicker.
There is a lot a Facebook post would show. Actually, I like to browse through my friends’ and family’s happy faces. But I stumble upon some connections that seem to enjoy seductive renditions. When I talk to my friends, they would just shrug and tell me “that is how today’s generation moves. They show what they can while they can. Someday, the glory will be gone and even the guts to show, will pall.”
Sigh. I feel old. It’s not that I don’t appreciate beauty and the art of a gorgeous body or a hunky six-pack. But I just don’t think it is what the world should see. Perhaps we can show off in private, to our friends who know us more. Who see us more than the pose. I would like the world to read more into the face and figure. More of the person. More depth. More soul.
What is my point in all these? Just as a picture may paint a thousand words, the imprint of a pose stays. So how would we want to be printed in a person’s mind? How would we want to be remembered? What thoughts do we cultivate? What are we trying to sell?
Don’t spoil your market. Think before you post.
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