Perturbation

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The Social Network

Posted: 17 Jul 2016 04:15 AM PDT
https://ke9v.net/2016/07/17/the-social-network/


Like a billion other people, I have a Facebook account. I dont like
Facebook. Never have. My account is purely for amateur radio, none of my
family are my friends. Im uninterested in building an audience on that
platform or using it to promote another.

Its single value to me is that many ham radio clubs, vendors and other
organizations make use of it. Some have out of date Web pages but their
Facebook page often provides a fresh, steady stream of information.

Honestly, while the ARRL maintains a great Web site, their Facebook feed is
more interesting.

When it comes to individuals, I often find its just too much information.

You get to know someone via ham radio, either in person, over the air, via
mailing lists or during club events. Or you think you know them. You may
even come to think of them as friends and believe them to be genuinely nice
people. Then you read their frequent Facebook rants and realize, these
arent the kind of people you would ever align yourself with in real life.

Why pretend to be friends with them online?

I un-friended more than 400 people last week. At least thats what they call
it. Truth is, I didnt know any of them. They were, at best, friends of
acquaintances. And to be fair, most of those didnt fit the description
above. I just made a decision to only follow certain clubs and
organizations, and only friend a few individuals that I actually know or
have met.

Its what I should have done from the outset but I didnt know then what I
have since discovered.

None of us will ever agree with everyone about everything, but like-minded
folks do tend to congregate. When I sit down in theÂ*lunch room at work its
almost never with those who are outspoken about their politics or their
religion. I intentionally avoid them because they wont change my mind, I
wont change theirs, and who needs that kind of aggravation at lunch?

Same goes for Facebook.

Unfortunately, you cant un-friend radio hams on the air. Well you can, but
eventually you end up with no one left to talk to and two-way communication
kinda needs at least two people to make it work.

Perhaps thats why they invented contesting? You can makes tens of thousands
of contacts without having to endure the world view of others. You just
trade 599s and move quickly along to the next one.