Count me among those who resisted signing up for Facebook early on. Just didn't see the point. That's changed, since I finally realized that I can't go through a day without seeing which cat video is trending.
I do now have a Twitter account, though I use it primarily for work-related things like Bonnaroo, concerts or live events such as the memorial service for Luther Masingill at Engel Stadium. It's a good way to post updates and even pictures and video.
Facebook can do the same, but what I like about it is the ability to quickly and fairly unobtrusively connect, and even reconnect, with family and friends. I'm also a sucker for getting lots of birthday wishes. Sappy and simple as it seems, it's nice.
Plus, I have to admit to enjoying the funny cat and dog videos and even some of the epic-fail videos that people share. Watching a skateboarder go crotch first into a handrail gets me every time, and the bulldog on the trampoline is gold.
One thing I don't think I will ever understand, though, are some of the inane things people choose to share in a public forum. There are countless examples of people posting really dumb things like nude selfies or pictures of themselves breaking the law or doing harm to someone else. And then there are the geniuses who post unflattering things about their bosses.
You can't fix stupid, but really the ones I don't understand are the posts about how tired or hungry people are. Do you really think anyone cares, or that their time is so invaluable that they need to use up even a second to read your current state of mind?
Other favorites are the ones where people feel compelled to express an opinion on a topic for which they have no educated opinion.
"Which acts are you excited to see this year at Riverbend?" someone will post, only to be followed by the incredibly insightful, "None. I've never been, and I don't like music."
Or "All of the bands are terrible."
It's always written with a superior tone, as if the person's high intellect allows him to perceive with absolute certainty what it is they are not missing by not going.
Or "What did you think of the Harry Potter books?"
"They're stupid. I didn't read them."
I try to abide by Abraham Lincoln's notion that "It's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.