“LIKE” (AND OTHER THINGS WE CLICK ON SOCIAL MEDIA)

Starting with a nod to my niece Lauren, the professional educator in the family, let me clarify the record from my most recent post (“KINDERGARTEN”). While I stand by my statement that my nephew and his wife didn’t have a choice to enroll their five-year-old this past fall, it was a personal choice wanting to give him a good start rather than a legal requirement in the State of Indiana.  Thanks to Lauren, both for reading and for helping to yet again reinforce that I learn something new every day–sometimes every hour!  It would have embarrassed her if I had entitled this entry “L for LAUREN.”  Then the next one would have had to be “M for MIKE” or I would have been in real trouble!

But enough correcting the record. Here’s what this LIKE thing is all about.  If you started with Facebook as your first social media platform, you might remember when the most common way to indicate your reaction to a post was the “thumbs up” or LIKE button.  Did you or any of your friends ever post a reply or comment “DISLIKE” or actually say that you wish there was such a button?  Now you most likely know there are several buttons added to that thumbs up, with corresponding icons to express your reactions or emotions, whether positive or negative.  Add in GIFs and other ways to express your reaction beyond having to use words and the options are almost limitless.

Twitter has a LIKE button represented by a heart within a circle, and other platforms have a number of different options as well. Before I bury the lead too deeply, think about how often you hit one of those LIKE or other reaction buttons, share a post, post a GIF or in some other way interact with something and someone on a social media platform.  Do you read the content or are you just reacting to the photo or headline?  Do you do any independent fact checking or do you find yourself sharing things that you tend to agree with?  Full disclosure—I’m not talking politics here, I’m talking about virtually anything,

My confession is that I have been guilty of this from time to time. Funny cat videos or cute kids pics aside, if something comes from someone we trust and tend to share at least some opinions with, it’s not a stretch to think that we can LIKE and share their content with some reasonable level of comfort without reading and/or fact-checking.

There are a few reasons that someone may not want to do that. The first and most obvious is that you could be spreading information that isn’t as much in alignment with your beliefs as the photo and/or headline might appear.  If the next person to see the post, someone who doesn’t know your views, starts to build an impression of you based on that erroneous information, that is unfortunate at best.  Another reason is that you may inadvertently be forwarding incorrect information about someone or something else. Finally, social media searches are now a big part of job hiring and other decisions such as placement on not-for-profit boards.

Careful as I try to be, there have been times that I have posted something then had second thoughts and edited or deleted the post just a few seconds later. Even so, someone could have gotten a screen shot or forwarded it to someone else.  And it’s out there for all time.  Far worse than inadvertently hitting REPLY ALL on an email!

IN CLOSING

Here is my commitment, both to myself and to you. As I continue to be out in the social media world with a combination of original and curated content, the curated content (including LIKES and shares) will be vetted and fact-checked to the best of my ability.  If you find my content in error, call me out on it.  That’s how we learn from each other.  And yes, I will continue to appreciate your funny cat videos and adorable kid pics!

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments and connections, both virtual and in person.