Hi. This is my very first blog as Carol Ann. I do write blogs under my author name but this is going to be my personal blog. It will be informative, sometimes emotive, sometimes serious and sometimes not.
Today I want to talk about FACEBOOK. The definition of this is: online social networking service.
Social networking is, as I understand it, a place where we can air our thoughts. Stay in touch with friends and family and make new friends. It is a place to share fun times, happy times and the sad times that we all at sometime, experience. I have used it as such a lot of late.If I have bored you, I apologise but that is what this page is for.
In this huge world, where families are often split because of distance, work, marriage etc. social media has become a huge comfort for millions around the world.
It is also a place where we can see what is happening in our neighboring countries and further afield. Yes, sometimes it shows us shocking images and we need to be selective to keep our own emotions safe from things that upset us. Facebook allows us to do this. If we don’t like something, we can choose, either not to read it or request such posts are deleted from our page. User friendly I think it’s called.
I believe that the Internet is a wonderful place, that social media is a useful tool for many. Families are not as they used to be. Some as I said, are spread around the globe. Some do not keep in touch for one reason or another. We may no longer have grandparents or parents close to us, the maiden aunt we all used to go to when in trouble or pain, no longer exists. Facebook, to many has become their confidante, their way of expressing their thoughts.Somewhere they can say anything they need to say. As a Psychotherapist, I see this as a useful tool.Using it in any of the aforesaid way, it is a good thing. It has become their friend. All good.
On a personal level, it has been more than that. It was place to contact my grandchildren, my other family, see their photos, hear what they were up to. But in my case all that changed. I was suddenly being told what I could write. I was receiving nasty comments on my posts, orders to remove stuff. Lies were being spread and so on. Facebook ceased being my friend but something I became afraid to switch on.
What Facebook shouldn’t be is the above. It should not be a platform for hatred, racism, rudeness and unsavoury posts. It should not be used to ‘get at ‘ someone; that should only and always be done face to face,not be made public, as my business was, and, I admit to fuelling it in desperation of keeping my family.
But it has a blocked button. Something that was being turned on and off at a whim by ‘family’, unblock to say nasty things and tell me what to do and then block again, so that I could not reply.So now that blocked button is in use at my action. I have blocked those intent on causing trouble and spoiling my time on social media. Now I am safe.
Since being a member of this ‘club’, I have been reunited with old school friends, people who knew my family, family members abroad who were not part of the anti Carol Ann campaign. I have seen photos of old schools, old places in Gosport where I lived and Portsmouth where my later years were sent. I have ‘met’ some wonderful people on here and intend to enjoy the rest of my time using this wonderful piece of modernity.The Gosport page especially,has brought back happy memories, of things I had forgotten in all the unhappy.
Yes all in all, having made myself safe, I want to say thank you Facebook. Thank you to every one who has taken the time to write , comment, send photos etc. Please keep them coming
In a way you have become part of my family as my readers on my author page have.
Long may it last.
x
carolannwright 