Facebook: action or illusion?
Facebook.
I can tell you where I am and who I’m with. I can show you a picture of my child. I can share what I’m thinking.
But can I change the world?
Every few days a new post surfaces that calls our attention to a hurting group of people and then challenges us to repost. These are almost always worthy topics: cancer, bullying, armed-forces, mentally handicapped. Our heart hurts for the hurting, and we are moved to act. We repost, hoping to spread the word, and we move on with our day.
But has anything fundamentally changed?
What is facebook doing to our desire to help? Has it helped us by enabling the quick spreading of information? Or is something less beneficial happening?
By reposting information on facebook, are we helping? Or are we only assuaging our guilt by making ourselves feel as though we’ve acted?
When I repost about orphans, I feel as though I’ve made a difference for orphans. In reality, have I made a difference in even one orphan’s life?
What do you think? Is facebook simply an easy way to spread awareness? Or is it subtly replacing action with illusion?
