Announcement

**CttCJim** · 04 Dec 2010, 23:36

Re: Facebook Activism

there are some isolated instances in which a company will notice a survey online - apple recently pulled an offensive app due to one, for instance. but for the most part it's just a way for someone to pretend like they're doing something.

**Medusa** · 05 Dec 2010, 00:57

Re: Facebook Activism

People end up talking about it. And then you come to find that you might have something that normally is a dark shameful secret...suddenly be recognized by others. Then you don't feel so horrible about your past situation.

Or someone may come up and speak out about something they've been witnessing. Reporting child abuse is one of the most awkward things I've ever had to do. But worth it in the end.

I have also found a few poeple who sorta...flip out about posting a cartoon pic for this cause. A friend of a friend deleted her friend over this. One friend gave her a hassle and she just got rid of her. It doesn't cost anything. So why not? We change our fb pic constantly for no apparent reason anyways. So now that we are doing it for a cause...it's a big fat hullabaloo.

**ChainLightning** · 05 Dec 2010, 02:01

Re: Facebook Activism

I guess it comes down to what it means to the person doing it. I agree, old cartoon profile pics are the last thing I would associate with child abuse. But... my ornery old self, I couldn't care less about people's 'constantly changing their profile pic and updating their status' cause de jour. Personally, I realize that my pet peeves about facebook, like the importance that people apply to stupid crap on there, is really just about me and what I don't like or don't want to do.

I dropped facebook a while back because I felt I'd become one of those people I complain about. Posting a new status, every few minutes, with all the details of my day. I'd already dumped a bunch of my "Notes", on there, since the entire reason I even joined the place was over some abuse and badmouthing of the minister that we'd asked to do Lolly's funeral service. Her Grandpa. But I digress. Some people feel it's important (imagined or not) to raise whatever discussion pops up, and pass it along.

Does it *do* anything? Well, it gets passed along. Just like the omnipresent breast cancer awareness crap. It makes the rounds, way to often, and really doesn't do a damn thing, for some of us. (My wife's pet peeve, in that area, is why aren't there tons and tons of brain cancer awareness things, out there? Breast cancer, these days, has a majorly high survivability rate. Brain cancer does not. She's had breast cancer, twice, and survived - she's still here, despite all the pink ribbons. Alissa had brain cancer... and died!)

What confuses me is why some people get SO wound up over others that disagree, that they delete friends. But then again, it's facebook. What kind of friends are they, on facebook? A cyber, almost nonexistent but for a computer screen, name. Who gives a sh*t?! People pass along the dumbest things for the dumbest reasons and feel they've done their piece to save mankind, from its self. For serious? It's facebook! People get all spun up around the axle about what their friends say or do on there. For real? It's facebook!

Take it or leave it. I mostly leave it. Or at least ignore quite a bit of what happens there.

**Ophidia** · 05 Dec 2010, 02:33

Re: Facebook Activism

Honestly I probably would have ignored it, too, except it's got a couple of my friends riled up. They're survivors of severe child abuse, and it's like every time another 'friend' pops up with the cartoon character & status update, it's a trigger for bad memories. This has also been going on since mid-November, but it's only hit my f-list in the past few days.

Other people are noting it, but it hasn't had the child abuse tag on it, it's just been 'post yourself as your favorite cartoon character' or 'guess which obscure 70s cartoon character I am'. Part of the facebook activism that gets me is the fact-checking aspect. Does anyone ever check to see if such-and-such week is the 'official Awareness Flavor of the Week' week/month, or is it something recycled from five months ago? Or like the missing children ones - sometimes I look to see if a kid is still missing (since I work in a large tourism area, I can put up a picture in the break room to give people a heads' up to watch for a suspicious adult w/an unwilling child, that kinda thing) only to see that the kid's either a) been missing since 1985, b) was found & returned in 1985 or c) doesn't seem to exist at all except on underground internet conspiracy sites.

**ChainLightning** · 05 Dec 2010, 02:51

Re: Facebook Activism

Oh gods, yes. That's another one I wish would go away. If my friend posted it, 2 minutes ago, on facebook, it just HAS to be fact.

But, yeah, this is why I've adopted so many different names for that site. Clean: flakebook, fakebook, facebrick. Not so clean: [censored], [censored], [censored], [censored] and [censored]. Just enough different names to reflect my contempt for what happens on there, but with enough sarcasm and humor to explain why I'm still a member.

Which, tbh, is simply that I'm a glutton for punishment, and I'm just not happy unless I've got something to b*tch about.

**Raphaeline** · 05 Dec 2010, 05:26

Re: Facebook Activism

I ignored it for a long time because I'm not at all convinced that changing a profile picture will in some way prevent or heal child abuse. I eventually decided on a whim yesterday to do it anyway because it was an opportunity to tell the world I think Cat Bus from Totoro is awesome.

But I think I'm ready to change it back. I don't think it will actually make a difference and I miss my other profile picture.

**DanieMarie** · 05 Dec 2010, 06:06

Re: Facebook Activism

A few weeks ago a lot of friends were doing it as well (and I joined in) but it wasn't supposed to be a child abuse awareness thing. It was a "hey, remember your childhood and have some fun" sort of thing.

**thalassa** · 05 Dec 2010, 06:10

Re: Facebook Activism

I think it depends on the context...

I know there was a thing for Veteran's Day for military members and veterans to put up pictures of themselves when they were in the military...which, is directly correlating day=real people you know. It wasn't about activism so much as awareness/reminder of people's service---mostly in the form of "dude...I remember that!" (a friend to another friend I had lost touch with), or "honey, look how buff you were" (my friend's wife to her hubby), or "Hey man, I never knew you were in the military. Thanks!" (a student to a former teacher of mine).

I guess if its a matter of making people think for 10 seconds, enough to do something if they directly encounter it later, its better than nothing.

**Dufonce** · 05 Dec 2010, 06:23

Re: Facebook Activism

psh i did it but yeah point is not there, but it is fun.

I'm runnin around with Tenderheart Bear as my facebook pic.

**cesara** · 05 Dec 2010, 07:03

Re: Facebook Activism

I'm not convinced it does 'nothing'.....I think Medusa made a few good comments on how it might make a difference, particularly in a more personal way. I changed mine to a toon yesterday, too....

As an aside, it is amazing how many people jumped on the wagon in the last couple of days (Danie is right, it started as just a 'fun' thing to do before the 'child abuse' cause was added), and, from a marketers position, I can tell you that it most likely was the time sensitivity that was added to the statement. People saw December 6 and thought, 'do it now, it only takes a second'.......just thought I'd mention that...lol.

**volcaniclastic** · 05 Dec 2010, 07:54

Re: Facebook Activism

Short and sweet: I think it's a bunch of bollocks. In fact, my current facebook status is questioning people's choice for the same stupid thing.

If you're gonna protest, people - go do it somewhere where it actually makes a difference..

**cesara** · 05 Dec 2010, 07:55

Re: Facebook Activism

Inspired by what Medusa said, this is my status:

wants to comment on the cartoon avatar hating -- 'awareness' isn't always meant to be a means to money -- if it moves just ONE person to go to an authority -- just one -- then it is worth the effort.

**Raphaeline** · 05 Dec 2010, 07:58

Re: Facebook Activism

I think that making a tiny icon a picture of some random cartoon has less of a chance of doing that than changing your status to something like, "Child abuse is a real problem with real victims. If you or anyone you know has suffered from child abuse, please call 1-800-4-A-CHILD." There's some actual information and an indication that you care.

**cesara** · 05 Dec 2010, 08:04

Re: Facebook Activism

[quote author=Raphaeline link=topic=1091.msg20012#msg20012 date=1291564727]
I think that making a tiny icon a picture of some random cartoon has less of a chance of doing that than changing your status to something like, "Child abuse is a real problem with real victims. If you or anyone you know has suffered from child abuse, please call 1-800-4-A-CHILD." There's some actual information and an indication that you care.
[/quote]

Indeed...but it's not just a tiny icon/picture....it's thousands.....clearly it's had a big impact because people are actually talking about it.

and yes, they could have made support more readily accessible in the original post, but, IMHO, most people would opt to go to their local authories anyway....but, your suggestion is certainly better thought out than what was originally posted.

Announcement

Facebook Activism

Facebook Activism

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment