My proposed question is: What makes us comment on social media?
When we see a post on Facebook or other social media, why do we comment? Is it usually a visceral reaction? What makes us hold back from sharing our thoughts?
Many times I have spent 2-10 minutes crafting a response to something to ultimately decide not to post it. Sometimes it’s because I think my comment is controversial and I don’t want to offend anyone. I also don’t want to track the comment and follow up on others responses. Sometimes it’s because I don’t know the person well enough and suddenly feel it is not my place to contribute.
Often, on Intellectual Roundtable, I feel my desired responses are actually just more questions without conclusions so I don’t think I should share those. I also feel the void when I put something out into the world and no one responds. When participating in conversations in person, with strangers or friends, I am much more likely to voice my thoughts because I know I am likely to get a response.
Since I wrote this I’m going to submit it, but I oddly thought at the very end here I should delete the whole question. It feels really obvious and suddenly not like an intellectual question at all but just a way to feed the ego.
Perhaps this is why I don’t post many personal things on social media! 🙂
Related questions: What do you get out of social media? What social media platforms do you use? Why do we care what strangers think of us? How can we build confidence?
Great question, Meagan! Three main reasons I comment on a social media post:
1. I want to create a culture of commenting on (perhaps even sharing of) worthwhile posts. I hope that others will reciprocate. Usually I know the person; they’ve made an excellent point; and I want to recognize I’ve read and really taken to heart what they wrote in a way that a simple “Like” won’t do.
2. I know the person; they’ve posted something I disagree with; and I want to find out how they’ve come to a certain way of thinking. I have found that — done the correctly — you can actually have constructive conversations on social media by asking respectful questions.
3. It doesn’t really matter if I know or don’t know the person; they’ve made an offensive or derisive comment; and it requires challenging, especially because it’s made on social media and can hurt others. If appropriate, I try to comment in a way that keeps this person as a Facebook Friend.
Of course, I also have written and deleted my comments. However, for me it’s usually because my post is really poor writing, and I would fail to offer anything constructive.
Because I’m right. And because I want everyone to know how brilliant and clever I am.
🙂
Love this comment, haha
I’ve written and deleted comments as well. Many times. I almost never comment on strangers social media posts, unless I want to say something positive. If a person is being offensive or spewing hatred, I ignore it as it is nearly impossible to change that individual’s mind on what they believe or are saying, and, calling them out just makes them dig in deeper.
I think that’s why I like intellectual roundtable. It is a platform to voice opinions, occasionally very different, and discuss topics with people who place value on everyone’s right to their own beliefs, even when they don’t agree.
You have no idea how much your last paragraph makes Lee and me.