“Liking” a political candidates Facebook page is the new tech version of the political “yard sign”.
Many people have no desire to get into a heated and confrontational political discussion. Posting a link to a political website or story on Facebook or Twitter can be so easy and doesn’t seem blatantly offensive…it’s your “yard sign” for the election. Until a friend with a very different opinion jumps in and makes a “knee jerk” comment on your post and the string of comments get ugly…fast.
As online activity increases in social media communities, personal and political opinions that once were known only to a few closes friends are now available for all “friends” to easily see. And as social media continues to grow, so will the “problem” of political post confrontations. During the 2004 election, Facebook had approximately 150,000 users. During the 2008 election, there were approximately 100 million users and this year, we’re seeing around 1 Billion people communicating via Facebook.
During the political season, try to remember that many people have many thoughts on the candidates and their platforms. Your views are extremely important to you, as your friends’ views are extremely important to them.
Sometimes we just have to agree to disagree and be respectful in the process.
