Dec 31

Dec 31 Letters on Social Media #12

Twitterverse!

I’ve had a FB friend request from someone I’m pretty sure I’ve never met but we have mutual friends who are all nice. Do I have to accept the friend request even though I have no idea who they are? Like, they don’t even look familiar. Or is it offensive if I deny it? Should I survey all the mutual friends?

I know it’s meant with love, kindness, seasonal good will and all that,

but sometimes when I see that virtual hug gif I just want to launch my phone into the sun.

Beth, you know about these things.

Ron, my man friend, keeps sending me a smiley face with hands in front of it. Is it jazz hands or is he saying he wants to touch me? I’m never certain how I should respond so I just ignore it.

Nan xxxxxxxx

A small quiz for you all!

Let’s see how many of you get it right! So, two people take issue with the surprising views a friend (a man, obviously) has espoused online and point out their feelings. One is a man, the other is a woman. Guess which one receives multiple insults, the attempts at shaming, the patronising suggestions that they’re ill-informed and narrow-minded, gets their name used in the replies (ugh), and even receives a private message telling them that HE IS BEING NICE AND YOU KNOW HE ISN’T THE TYPE OF PERSON HE’S MAKING HIMSELF SOUND LIKE HE IS SO THIS IS JUST OFFENSIVE. And guess which one continues to get responses in the same matey tone as always! Post your guesses below!

Lou, I have finally blocked Kyle.

First, I “unfollowed” so I didn’t see his constant posts, but he still showed up all the time on everyone else’s statuses. Then I finally got the guts to unfriend him, which was actually fine, but every single time a mutual friend asked for advice, there he’d be, writing essays, or telling the person they were asking for the wrong thing, or just giving lengthy advice when no one had even asked for it. So, I did it. I blocked him. A virtual world without Kyle shoehorning his way into any exchange. It’s an absolutely beautiful relief. I just had to tell someone about it!

Letters on Social Media is a humorous series of fictional letters that aims to explore some of the ways our fragile human minds are ill-equipped to cope with the world of digital communication.

Plans are afoot to turn Letters on Social Media into a micro-podcast. If you would like to record yourself reading one of the letters, I’d be delighted. Just get in touch via the Contact page or via my social media, and I’ll let you know which letters are available.

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