Posted on 10/30/2014 1:42:52 PM PDT by Tired of Taxes
On social media websites, how do you handle "friends" with completely different political viewpoints?
Suppose you want to keep in contact with family members. So you sign up for Facebook. Almost all of your "friends" are relatives. Some are Republicans, others Democrats. You love them all.
But your news feed shows their "likes" and their comments on many different issues. And some "friends" go to extremes, even using profanity and insulting conservatives.
Do you "like" the comments you agree with and ignore the ones you oppose? (This is what I've been doing so far.)
Or do you jump into every discussion and argue for your side on the issues?
Or do you pick and choose which discussions to jump into?
Or do you ignore your friend's "likes" and just "share" your own counter-"likes"?
Or do you simply "un-friend" the people who go so far to the left that they're obnoxious?
What do you do?
Another concern is entering political discussions that you wouldn't want younger "friends" (such as your children) to see.
Thanks in advance for your input!
If they’re actual personal friends outside of political things (yes, I have some lefty friends) and they frequently post their politics, I unfollow their feed. That way, if I want to see what’s up with them, I have to actively go to their page to see it- I don’t have leftyspew all over my screen before I’ve finished my morning coffee. They’re not unfriended, I don’t have to listen to their politics.
I don’t make political or religious posts on social media, and when people do, I don’t respond to them one way or another.
It's amazing how well that's worked for me here!
I just ignore most posts and do very little posting at all on my own home page or timeline on fb. In fact, don’t post much at all on fb. But when I do it’s usually on Free Republic on facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/26012226159/ ) or some other specialized page.
I am not on social media so I wouldn’t know. I have never virtually “liked” anything so I don’t know what that means. Usually when I like something its a mental note in my head of something I approve of. I don’t have to tell everyone every time I like something and I don’t go looking for people to like something that I have. If they like it fine, if not, I don’t care.
So I suppose I can’t offer much to this conversation.
If you mean friends face to face, I just don’t talk about politics. We talk about football or something
I am with you. I don’t make political or too many religious posts and for the most part I ignore them.
It will also lower your blood pressure a good 10 points.
I just ignore them for the most part.
I do as little as possible on Facebook. I “like” pictures of little kids, but that’s it. I spend my political time here because I have more fun and anonymity.
I don’t do Facebook.
If I did, I would unfriend anyone who insulted me as you have described.
I keep them as friends but “unfollow” them. That way I don’t have to see the crap they post. If I wan to know what they’re up to I can click on their pages, but this way they don’t show up on my news feed. Other alternative is just to delete their political posts as soon as they pop up.
There is a button next to shared content (v). Click that and you can hide all reposts from The Onion, MSNBC, Atheist supremacist groups, MoveOn, etc. etc.
I call it Socialist Networking for a reason.
I did post political and religious articles, often when I saw them on FR. I wasn't trying to stir up a hornet's nest, and my settings blocked my postings from the liberal weenies who were alleged friends. I posted conservative stuff so my conservative friends and relatives who don't read sites like FR could keep up with things. I would usually click on an interesting article, and click on "share" or "like" to post it to FB. Eventually, I just decided it was a waste of time.
I see what you did there. ;-D
ping
I’ve got one lefty friend from HS that posts lefty foolishness fairly often. Sometimes I ignore it, other times I wade in just to let him know he’s not living in a lefty echo chamber and there are other ways to look at things. He gives as well and it doesn’t devolve into anger on either side.
My personal postings are rarely political except when responding to others that have taken the left-hand turn somewhere.
In response I said, "I can defend my political ideology with fact, logic and reason. If you cannot do the same I must be an extremist".
All liberal "friends" unfriended me. lol!
These are the same people who debated who should be the first female president. One faction wants Hillary Clinton and the other faction wants Michelle Obama. Yes, they are that stupid.
I was informed that even though they unfriended me they were still reading and commenting on my posts among themselves. So I have a new policy. Anyone who unfriends me gets blocked. I think it works well.
I don’t either. Outside of mom and dad, my brothers, and my kids I don’t talk to anyone outside of strictly business at work. I have no friends by choice.
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