Surviving Facebook During Election Season
It’s that time again. When everyone with an opinion, an agenda and a political party come out of the woodwork sharing everything from heated debates to political cartoons. Now depending on which side of the fence you are standing on, you may find yourself highly annoyed around this time every election. But here are some ways you can avoid loosing Facebook friends and relatives this time around. What I’m hoping you gain some practical tips for surviving Facebook during Election Season.
1.Hide People From Your Feed!
Honestly, this is one of the BEST things you can do if you have a friend or relative with a differing political opinion from yours. If you get annoyed every time they post there is a real simple solution. All you need to do is click the little down arrow in the upper right of their post found in your home stream and select from a few options. 1) Hide Posts- this lets Facebook know that you’d like to see fewer of these kinds of posts. Or you can choose Unfollow (insert person’s name here). This lets you keep being friends but keeps you from seeing the person’s posts in your home stream. If you want to stay in touch you’d have to go to their page.
I find that selecting these options is the best way for me to keep in touch with people I love and care about without getting annoyed by their opinions or affiliations every time I check my home stream.
2. Stay Out of Debates
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that debates on Facebook are a waste of my time. Now, if you find great entertainment value in debating, be my guest but I just can’t do it anymore. People online can be mean, cruel and aggressive when hiding behind a computer screen and taking that kind of licking is likely to stop you from ticking. Meaning, if you get into a debate and you get attacked, you’ll spend a good amount of time mulling over it, frustrated by it and defending yourself to yourself and maybe to your bestie on the phone.
Debating online, most of time, is just a waste of your life. Very few people will be swayed by your argument because everyone has an opinion they believe to be true. I’m not discouraging you from taking a stand for what you think is right but just be careful that you aren’t wasting your time in a group whose completely uninterested in your opinion.
3. “Like” Your Favorite Representatives & Causes
One simple way to put your political opinions out for the world to see without having to create a proclamation status update is to simply “like” pages associated with people or causes that you support. You’ll see more information in your stream that educates, entertains and pertains to you when you connect your profile with causes that you care about. So if you stop following friends with annoying status updates and like pages you’re interested in, your home feed should keep you in the loop about things you care about while preserving your relationships with your online friends.
Facebook is a double edged sword. It can be a great way to connect or a simple way to get ticked off everyday. What’s one way that you avoid Facebook drama in your own life?
Kim Anderson is the organized chaos loving author behind the Thrifty Little Mom Blog. She helps other people who thrive in organized chaos to stress less, remember more and feel in control of their time, money, and home. Kim is the author of: Live, Save, Spend, Repeat: The Life You Want with the Money You Have. She’s been featured on Time.com, Money.com, Good Housekeeping, Women’s Day, and more!