I was asked why I visited the Tea Party rally on Wednesday. Honestly, it was the same reason why I visited the Occupy people in Phoenix so many times and the same reason why I went to the pro-gun rally a few months ago. I went to all these events, and will continue to go to these events, to understand the point of view of people in the group. The person who asked about why I went to the Tea Party rally made a judgment about Tea Party members by the rhetoric they saw on the news. They made their judgment because of memes they have seen or promoted themselves in social media. They never went to a rally, saw what the crowd was like, and never talked to anyone in the crowd. I take my camera and talk to people in the crowd. I try to come in with no preconceived objective or point of view. I listen to what they say, good or bad. I report on what I observed at the time. I can only speak for the people I see at the event, not an overview of all members of the group.

If I went with preconceived notions, I wouldn’t have the openness to listen to opposing points of view. After checking out my Facebook page I had about ten messages/memes from people making statements that either didn’t make sense or I’m just flat out opposed to. I’ve said over and over again it is crazy to me how people can blindly resend information without checking out the full link. It surprises me even more that people feel they have to constantly send out their partisan point of view on social media like Facebook, yet they would be the same people who would deny someone doing the same thing. How many people have I seen who have exercised their free speech rights on social media, expressing their faith and getting shouted down by people? How many of those same people willing to shout down someone over religious views get downright vicious when they are challenged by their beliefs? Why is it when someone is confronted about their beliefs they are willing to get so upset they fall back on the tried and true method of claiming ‘truth’ is on their side and, in the most extreme cases, doing an unfriending?

What I miss about social media, and I wouldn’t have said this a few years ago, is people sharing things, real things, about themselves. I don’t mean people spouting out their political views but people being honest about their lives. I miss people venting about their jobs, their loved ones and about getting angry about stupid things they do. I miss reading about people having an issue about something one day and resolving it a few days later. I miss hearing about kids’ recitals, milestones in their lives and yes, recommendations about music, books, films and TV shows. Don’t get me wrong, there are people who still use social media to be social, but so many people are willing to use social media as a tool for promoting an issue or idea that has been co-opted by another entity. OK, I get it that you want me to ‘sign’ some electronic petition but why should I sign it. Don’t make me click on a link to some anonymous site, tell me, in your words, why I should do it.

Social media started out as a way for individuals to share things both personal and social. It was a way for people to connect with others. It has warped into a marketing tool. That hasn’t been good for the social part because we have become less knowledgeable about our friends and families. Just like wearing T-shirts with brand logos, social media sites have become ways for companies and organizations to brand us. I would like to think we can get back to being personal and sharing more about ourselves. There has to be middle ground so it’s not all about shilling for advertisers and having arguments erupt over nonsense.