The Bane of Social Media: WHY Your Facebook Newsfeed says far more about You than anything else

When I think of Facebook, Instagram and the like, I think about ways I am able to keep up with people I enjoy and ways I've facilitated hundreds and hundreds rescues of abused and neglected horses, dogs and cats in the past 8 years. I think of how I was able to win a huge victory at our state legislature for freedom in West Virginia. I remember the amazing events I've coordinated through the contact base born through Facebook. I never forget the clear success my small farm has experienced through the marketing through social media month after month. I mull over a neat campaign my husband ran working toward a state seat in politics, too.

An abandoned herd of horses recently save by the rescue where I serve as director just a week ago because of social media.

 I think of all of the moments in the lives of people I know very well or even just a bit. I ponder all the events in my local area I am aware of that I would miss with social media. And never I sure never forget to appreciate the millions of dollars non-profits raise for causes that would be overlooked by us without places like Facebook. So many amazing works are happening at a grassroots level and find success in a way never possible before because of social networking!

So many phenomenal things.

A filly alive today only because a few people met many years ago online, formed a rescue
that has last a long time and raised money almost solely online to save lives like Rita's

I hope to never get to the point where witnessing the goings on in the lives of people I care about feels annoying. I hope to never seem irritated that people share success stories or happy moments, even if they are somewhat inflated or the type that overshadow less bright times they are going through. I reckon we can all dwell on the good more than the bad a bit more, eh?

A well attended protest the year before we had success in changing the laws of West Virginia for small farmers

We refuse to admit that how we perceive or experience things can say more about who we are than it ever says about others. It also tells us a tremendous amount about the type of people we are opting to surround ourselves with or interact with, really.

I am very aware social media, like life, can be toxic. I know that Facebook, Twitter and Instagram can be used for horrible, cruel, gossipy and wasteful things. So can life. If you're using one in that way, you're probably using the other in the same manner.

If you find your social media "feed" is full of garbage, take moment to think about who you're interacting with, and once you do, I venture to say, at the risk of making you irritated, your real life and your feed both need re-evaluation. If you can't stand what you see on these virtual feeds because they are a mess in all the bad ways you can imagine, then I bet, if you're honest, you may need to step back and re-work your life, both the online and in person versions, folks.

A homeless, pregnant dog who likely wouldn't have survived yesterday without the quick networking I used through Facebook to find a rescue group able to save her and her unborn puppies lives

Your life, the one that plays out online and in the one in reality, is in your hands. You aren't a puppet. The people you put in either place are your responsibility. No one suits anyone all of the time, but if you're constantly angry, sad or extremely upset by what you see in your life or social media feed, you're the problem. The way you craft and shape this life is up to you. If all you see is doom, gloom, toxic waste, that is either what you are a willful passenger to or a perpetrator of, sad as this may be to hear.



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