Hive

Recently there was a significant and controversial news surrounding the Mormon church that made it’s rounds on Facebook. I took the opportunity to conduct a survey, an unofficial survey, my Facebook feed is biased as well as the ratio of friends to whom this news it impacted vs those who would never hear this news.  As the years have gone on I have come to conclude the following about social media:

• It creates community
• Within those communities a school of thought emerges
• This school of thought is regurgitated amongst the community
• There is a hive mentality on Facebook

Case Study:

In the most recent Facebook controversy, the Headline reads “Mormon church labels same-sex couples apostates” (CNN.) Or, “Mormons Sharpen Stand against Same-Sex Marriage” (NYT.) Depending on the community you prefer to subscribe to.

In a survey of Facebook posts:

• 70% were reposts accompanied with comment
• 20% were original thought (coincidentally this same 20% are outliers who consistently post original thought)
• 10% were reposts with no comment.  

Of these posts and comments, and here I include responses/replies, a whopping 80% used argumentum ad passiones. 

Wikipedia definition: Appeal to emotion or argumentum ad passiones is a logical fallacy characterized by the manipulation of the recipient's emotions in order to win an argument, especially in the absence of factual evidence. [1] This kind of appeal to emotion is a type of red herring and encompasses several logical fallacies, including appeal to consequences, appeal to fear, appeal to flattery, appeal to pity, appeal to ridicule, appeal to spite, and wishful thinking. 

What I found interesting: 75% within the outlier ‘original thought posters’-- both for and against on either side of the controversy--  referenced established information. 10% did not post a controversial statement and took a humanist approach. The outliers remaining used emotion. 

To be clear, I am speaking of BOTH sides of the argument. Herein lies a paradox of social media. The factual evidence was a written policy taken from a handbook; interpreted to the needs of each community? I too rather frequently subscribe to this, to fit the needs of feeling validated.

Certainly there is much more to be said on this topic. The purpose of this post isn’t to discuss the policy, simply it’s mechanism as the mechanism is a prevalent, reoccurring theme in my social media usage. I used this informal case study to develop an understanding of the world around me, the reality which I understand and the reality which other’s understand. (I have found myself guilty of not having the imaginative abilities to understand the lives, perspectives or thought processes of others. I simply lack the ability to think as others do. It has lead to trouble when I have not considered the other possibilities, not from lack of trying, simply that I do not know what I do not know. I require communicative and expressive people or sources to help me.)  I have seen this community-of-thought-mechanism phenomenon occur repeatedly, with a similar breakdown of % as in the case study above, with other themes on social media such as:

• The role of relationships and their terms
• How to live life to its fullest
• Success is: material possessions vs experiences
• Religion: Role, function, and authenticity
• What is a meaningful life?
• Politics: Who deserves what and the rights attributed
• Look at my life! Isn’t it ___fill in the blank____?!!
• What to eat
• Fitness and fashion
• How to Human

These are pretty big topics we use our social media communities for to help us define our understanding. It seemingly gives a state-of-the-people as to what internet-able humanity focuses on in a globalized world (considering the bias of my fb feed.) I could argue social media isn't the appropriate platform for this transmission of identity or culture. That's the wistful part of me that believes in a world of explores like Darwin and Armstrong, writers like Toni Morrison and Jules Vern and J.R.R. Tolkein, and game-changers like Ghandi and Einstein; none of these perfect people.  Before social media was Media and school and the people in our community, towns, neighborhoods in which we lived and worked which molded our identities. The difference is social media has broadened the body of knowledge, schools of thought and brought the possibilities straight to our screens nearly instantaneously as news happens without requiring us to actually experience a thing before we are able to form an opinion of it, based on our exposure to the online communities we favor. Our informative interaction with reality, in this sense, is becoming less real and more digital. (For the record, Ted Talks and MOOCs, amongst others, are one of the best ideas of our time!)

I use Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram as my social media. Mainly to look at pictures, out of curiosity, to get ideas, or boredom. I post every once in a while but I am beginning to feel old, or less influenced by popular opinion. Or maybe it’s that I want to be one of those outliers who think and act for themselves. After all, the popular opinion these days is shun Hive Mentality. Facebook taught me that.

I got everything from someone. Nobody can be original.

~Philip Johnson

The Wind

I always envisioned myself a seed that picks up with the wind and drifts.

Almost exactly one year ago, a physic medium on Bourbon Street told me as I was shuffling the tarot cards, "we create our destinies." She "reads the energies of the cards as I am putting them out into the universe." She then proceeded to tell me in one year's time my life would be completely different. Through it, I would find my life long happiness. I was a skeptic.

I met Jonny. The love of my life. A man I would never have noticed if it weren't for the intervention of a person who is now, someone we are both grateful to. He's the kind of man you dream of as a little girl growing up with fairytales; the one who will sweep you off your feet, move heaven and earth for you, protect and defend you and spend their life making yours better. He is Home no matter where we are. We are not perfect, together or as individuals; we are perfect for each other.

I gained six pounds last year in New Orleans. My fitness coach congratulated me. With my newly acquired six pounds of fat, I tipped the scales at a whopping 18% BMI. It felt good to work hard and it felt good to be strong, toned and "healthy." I ran everywhere I travelled and loved it. I worked out hard. This was the lifestyle for me. I walked a fine line of developing and preaching disordered eating. I am a foodie as true as ever there was one. Eating outside my meal plan gave me guilt. In my head, it was because I was dedicated. Until you are obsessing over macros and whether that extra rice cracker you ate will put you off track, it's hard to explain that kind of devotion verses mental instability.

If I were to see my coach again, he'd tell me I can do it. My BMI is at least 28% or above by now. Undergoing that transformation, I was the very definition of mental instability. My workout now is learning to love myself, even if my size 2 wardrobe sits in the closet indefinitely. Until one week ago if you had taken me to a mental health doctor I would've undoubtedly been diagnosed with depression. My body permanently broke on me last fall. I still don't have any definitive answers why. I spent six months rehabilitating in order to walk properly. It's only been a little over a month I've been "normal" again, already I've forgotten much of the struggle...until I try to do "normal" things. I may never run again. I have yet to graduate physical therapy but I am mobile and pain no longer rules my days. One day I'll be physically strong again. I had no idea what "strong" meant. The hardest workout will never compare to trying to raise your leg with all your effort or walk twenty feet to the toilet so you don't loose your dignity. It's a hard lesson. I am grateful every day now my lesson wasn't worse. You come out of it fighting or you give up. I gave up plenty of times.

The wind was full of changes. It snatched away my best friend when I needed her most. The friendship was already dwindling as my body began to break. I grieved as I stood by watching her grudge replace years of friendship. I chose to move on. There is nothing positive holding on to the past hoping for a different future. People change and so do I.

In a short time I'll be leaving behind a successful career filled with sacrifice, blood, sweat and tears. There have been as many disappointments as there have been victories. I gave it my all.

The wind hasn't subsided yet the wind has never led me astray, even when the conditions getting there are uncomfortable.

From healthy to broken, and wealthy to who-knows-what, I do know the path to happiness. The wind is blowing this little seed to greener pastures. Perhaps we create our destinies but maybe they are drifting with us in the wind.