Language is fluid and ever changing. For instance, twenty years ago the words “hide,” “snooze,” and “unfollow,” had little or nothing to do with social interactions. You might snooze an alarm-clock but never another person. In 2020, in the alternate reality known as social media, people snooze, hide, unfriend, and unfollow people on a daily basis.
Language is powerful. We both define and reveal ourselves by the words we choose. It’s as easy as the click of a button to eliminate people from view. Click. Gone! Magic. The power to insulate. “Unfriend” and “unfollow” ensure that our engagements are only with like-minded people. Is it any wonder that we no longer need to find common ground? It’s a simple equation: you bug me/I snooze you. “Hide,” “snooze,” and “unfollow” are the words of bubble creators. Fortress makers.
Closing the gates might lock others out but it also locks us in. Either way, click. Gone! A smaller world. Raise the gates for agreement.
Closing the gates is not a function of disagreement. I heard this said the other day, “People say things on Facebook that they’d never say in person.” True. It is corrosive and ugly. There is rarely space for civil disagreement. Ideas are attacked as a first action. Responses are salvos. In other words, no one is snoozed for being kind. Courtesy and consideration rarely result in unfollowing or the ultimate nuke: unfriending. There is no space for civil discourse. We snooze, hide, unfollow because we are assaulted or we assault. Social media is startlingly anti-social.
Many years ago, I had the good fortune to listen to Stephen Hawking give a lecture on the possibility of multiverses, a string of multiple universes. His theory involved bubbles that occasionally bumped together. The bumping opened small windows of communication between the bubbles. The great miracle of two universes brushing together is that they, even for a short time, can communicate. They can share experiences.
Our great miracle is the opposite. We construct bubbles against each other. When our universes bump together, windows are slammed closed. We believe ourselves all powerful when, with the click of a button, we can extract a voice from our “stream.” So powerful is our illusion of the button, we’ve happily become the buttons. No courtesy, no kindness, no listening, no consideration necessary or expected.
Click: assault. Click: be gone.
read Kerri’s blog post about UNFOLLOWING
Filed under: Language, Merely A Thought Monday, Uncategorized | Tagged: anti social, bubbles, civility, communication, corrosive, courtesy, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, Facebook, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, kindness, language, language matters, multiverse, social media, Stephen Hawking, ugly, words |
The Direction of Intention 
For a more uplifting take on “snoozing”, “hiding”, “friending/unfriending”, “following/unfollowing” one only needs to observe the small dog.
Snoozing and hiding are frequently practiced in unison–particularly late in the evenings. Go to the bedroom. Jump up on the big bed. Burrow under the covers. Snooze…while hidden. If The Boss fails to notice you are there you get to stay all night. He will only notice if you wag your tail when he comes in the room. Even if he notices–as long as you aren’t in the middle of the bed or causing a fuss–he will pretend not to see you.
Friending…a main thing a small dog does enthusiastically and with rare reservation. Exceptions are delivery persons who drive trucks and wear uniforms. ALL of those marauders, terrorists, murderers and invaders are unfriended universally and unequivocally. Stay out of uniforms and delivery trucks and you are a true friend…for life.
Following? Unfollowing? Small dog leads. Always. There is no unfollow.
Any questions?
I should get a treat…
…now.
You are a treat. AND, a cookie is on the way! Good boy!!!;-)