Sharing May Not Be Caring

I love Facebook. It’s a great way to stay in touch with far-flung friends and family.

I hate Facebook. People are constantly posting things that exhort you to “copy and paste” or “share” or otherwise spread various memes, (faked) photos, and (usually mis-)information. “Facebook keeps taking this down, so share it like crazy!.” And without thought, “share” gets hit, adding another ten cents to someone’s coffers.” “Share this to show your support of this cause – I bet I know which of my friends will share.” Nice touch, a bit of “share or disappoint your friend”, so “share” gets hit, adding another ten cents to someone’s coffers.

I understand why people want to share posts about missing children. But they seem to never first click on the post and read the story. Sure, it is upsetting that little five year old Jimmy is missing from his front yard. But if you read the story, that front yard is in Australia. And he was found within an hour, hiding in his tree house, because he was in trouble for breaking the lamp. Oh, and Jimmy is now fourteen, and rather embarrassed that this story keeps showing up on the feeds of potential girlfriends.

I am naturally suspicious, so I will not share any stories about missing children (or adults) that do not come from a legitimate source. Anyone can post “my child is missing”; if you are not asking me to contact a legitimate law enforcement agency, I am not sharing your post. How do I know you are not a stalker? How do I know you are not a parent whose rights have been terminated for cause?

Similarly, I won’t share stories about “the buddy you haven’t seen since Vietnam.” How can I know if you want to find the person for good or for evil? Maybe I read too much, but you know, there really are hit men, and there really are people in Witness Protection, so why would you pass on information that could potentially cause someone harm?

Don’t get me wrong – I am happy to share a good joke, or a good Harry Potter meme, or an interesting story from a legitimate news source, be there on the left, right, or center. And I totally support you sharing this post. Just, please, don’t share without reflection.