• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • NEWS+OPINIONS
    • NEWS TO US
    • COLUMNS
      • APPARENT HORIZON
      • DEAR READER
      • Close
    • LONGFORM FEATURES
    • OPINIONS
    • EDITORIAL
    • Close
  • ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT
    • FILM
    • MUSIC
    • COMEDY
    • PERFORMING ARTS
    • VISUAL ARTS
    • Close
  • DINING+DRINKING
    • EATS
    • SIPS
    • BOSTON BETTER BEER BUREAU
    • Close
  • LIFESTYLE
    • CANNABIS
      • TALKING JOINTS MEMO
      • Close
    • WELLNESS
    • GTFO
    • Close
  • STUFF TO DO
  • TICKETS
  • ABOUT US
    • ABOUT
    • MASTHEAD
    • ADVERTISE
    • Close

Dig Bos

The Dig - Greater Boston's Alternative News Source

SHARING IS CARING (AND MOST OF YOU SOCIAL MEDIA RATS DO NEITHER)

Written by CHRIS FARAONE Posted April 8, 2018 Filed Under: COLUMNS, Dear Reader

 

As you may know if you follow me on social media or check this column every week, I am one of those insufferable souls who constantly complains that people are reading and sharing totally useless, vapid clickbait and garbage, all while while ignoring demonstrably more important things. As a simple example of said phenomenon, I might point to the obsession with that poor deceased dog Puppy Doe, compared to, say, the utter lack of interest in topics like health care, campaign finance, homelessness, surveillance, and any number of other issues that, in my best guess, must be even harder for most people to acknowledge than animal abuse, or else we would hear about them daily.

 

So, why do so many folks shy away from sharing articles about controversial topics, or at least ones that have yet to be reduced and cheapened to a meme or blog post farted out by some venture-backed national news aggregator? For starters, we live in a society where it is an accepted cliche that one shouldn’t address politics or God around the family dinner table; with the mindset that we shouldn’t even challenge those whom we share holidays and genes with, people will always be quick to shirk their civic duty to engage with monsters, as well as the comfortably apathetic, when they are out in public. While this hypothesis may dampen countless less-than-funny late-night talk show punchlines and reactive observations about how contemporary cultures clash throughout the interwebs in fashions that were never past imagined, it nonetheless makes sense if you consider how most people will do anything to avoid confrontation in real life.

 

A similar but certainly distinct dynamic fueling passive attitudes toward sharing damning independent articles is akin to how young teens in middle school pretend they are stupid in class, largely out of fear that people will make fun of them for being smart and knowing stuff. It’s some juvenile shit for sure, but I also feel it is the primary hurdle in getting the brainier readers who truly admire the hard-hitting work that we do to then go and spread the good word. This planet’s run by animals and imbeciles, and there is nothing they hate more than people with brains and compassion who question their comfortable existences.

 

As a result, we share articles about how some guy broke into the home of Rob Gronkowski and about pseudo events that summon our wildest nightmares. We ruminate for fucking weeks about the silly tattoo on Ben Affleck’s back, and of course share headlines such as “Drinking red wine mixed with prune juice makes you live a whole lot longer.”

 

Sounds like a lot of shit to me.

CHRIS FARAONE
+ posts

A Queens, NY native who came to New England in 2004 to earn his MA in journalism at Boston University, Chris Faraone is the editor and co-publisher of DigBoston and a co-founder of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism. He has published several books including 99 Nights with the 99 Percent, and has written liner notes for hip-hop gods including Cypress Hill, Pete Rock, Nas, and various members of the Wu-Tang Clan.

  • CHRIS FARAONE
    https://digboston.com/author/chris-faraone/
    Want List Honors Tim Haslett, Brother Cleve, Offers Gems From Legendary Vinyl Collections
  • CHRIS FARAONE
    https://digboston.com/author/chris-faraone/
    Justice Department Completes Vetting Of Rachael Rollins
  • CHRIS FARAONE
    https://digboston.com/author/chris-faraone/
    AG Investigating BPD To Determine If “Gang Unit” Engages In “Unconstitutional Policing”
  • CHRIS FARAONE
    https://digboston.com/author/chris-faraone/
    Little, Yellow, Different, Delicious: Håvn Sativa Lemon Gummies

Filed Under: COLUMNS, Dear Reader Tagged With: articles, Facebook, media, shares, social media, Twitter

WHAT’S NEW

State Wire: Advocates Push For 'Tax Fairness' With Expanded Child Tax Credits

State Wire: Advocates Push For ‘Tax Fairness’ With Expanded Child Tax Credits

Mass Lawmakers Hear Testimony On Cannabis Testing, Medical Access

Mass Lawmakers Hear Testimony On Cannabis Testing, Medical Access

Massachusetts Bill, Victim Advocates Call For Coordinated Date-Rape Drug Response

Massachusetts Bill, Victim Advocates Call For Coordinated Date-Rape Drug Response

Report: Fewer Youth Transition Out Of Massachusetts Foster Care System

Report: Fewer Youth Transition Out Of Massachusetts Foster Care System

State Wire: Activists Urge Congress To Raise Debt Ceiling, Resist Spending Cuts

State Wire: Activists Urge Congress To Raise Debt Ceiling, Resist Spending Cuts

Dancing On Banana Peels: Life On Lifetime Parole In Massachusetts

Dancing On Banana Peels: Life On Lifetime Parole In Massachusetts

Primary Sidebar

AAN Wire


Footer

Social Buttons

DigBoston facebook DigBoston Twitter DigBoston Instagram

Masthead

About

Advertise

Customer Service

About Us

DigBoston is a one-stop nexus for everything worth doing or knowing in the Boston area. It's an alt-weekly, it's a website, it's an email blast, it's a twitter account, it's that cool party that you were at last night ... hey, you're reading it, so it's gotta be good. For advertising inquiries: sales@digboston.com To reach editorial (and for inquiries about internship opportunities): editorial@digboston.com