Facebook - the ups and downs!

For the first time the other day, I 'unfriended' someone on Facebook. I am under no illusions that people may have unfriended me on occasion, and as I haven't noticed then I probably don't care and to be frank it's their loss, but it's not something I would choose to do lightly.


The reason I unfriended this person was because of their increasing use of really foul language in their postings (if they are reading this, I will probably get a nasty message back!). Not just an acerbic tone or outrageous view on the world, but because they were becoming heavily littered with anger, frequent uses of the 'F' word and other quite unpleasant words or phrases, and the final straw was the use of the most offensive word of all, the 'C' word used in a posting about someone else the other day.


I'm not a prude and never have been. We all, me included, use blasphemy occasionally in our postings when we feel strongly and the intermittent 'bloody' or something similar doesn't offend me. Nor do outrageous or strong views; after all that's one of the purposes of this blog - to put my views out there and get a reaction - but using really strong language on a frequent basis on a public network just to be clever, because you lack the imagination to write something more eloquent or just because you can, I do find offensive. I have been known to walk out of movies where there is too much bad language when I feel that it has been put in just to shock and adds nothing, because I really do dislike it. And after a while, it loses it's impact and just becomes something rather pathetic.


So its fine to express yourself forcefully, but take care how you do it. And also beware that what is in writing is usable as a case for libel.


The other downside of Facebook is, of course, that everyone knows your business, and you can't write about anything on it which everyone who is your 'Friend' doesn't already know about. Someone I know was caught out the other week when mentioning a party to which I hadn't been invited. I wouldn't really have expected to be, I don't really mind and I pulled their leg about it gently, but that might not have been the case and I could well have been very upset. I think I am made of tougher stuff and have had far worse knock backs in my life, but you get the picture.


So social networking sites have their downsides, and it is important to be aware of them. I will continue using them, and if you don't like what I say I will understand perfectly if you unfriend me, but things like Facebook and MySpace and Twitter will all work much better if we have consideration for others and think carefully about what we write, using the media appropriately. Not everyone will have enough judgement, but let's keep hoping.


Who said the modern Mary Whitehouse? Now there's a thought!