STAND UP AND BE COUNTED

With the relatively new social networking sights accessible on the computer, Blackberry, Smart Phone, etc. new worlds have been created in ways never imagined. As a 19 year old I remember taking a speed reading class. Today there is a new form of speed reading called texting or twittering. Letters represent whole words and messages are intended to be short and quick.

With the advent of blogging and facebook comes the new way of communicating with family, friends and the world. We can comment on just about everything someone writes or says. The idea is I write and then you comment of what I have written. Whole communications between individuals can be read by anyone stopping on the page. It is a form of voyeuristic peeping into a person’s life.

The biggest social change that has taken place in the past few years is how uncivil communication has become. Everyone feels the need to give opinion on everything. Expressing criticism has become a way of life. We no longer feel the need to censer what we say. There are no more filters. If we are angry we use caps (i.e. we hit the caps lock button on the keyboard when we are typing). If we want to swear we use symbols. Being a bully was never easier.

I for one want to stand up and be counted as old fashioned. I refuse to tear someone down. If I don’t agree I will still be true to myself. And if I feel the need to be critical I will do it privately.

Note: This was a staged picture! No feelings were hurt in the making.