The Politics of Facebook

During the 2008 presidential election, much was said and written about the influence of the internet on the political process. Remember Obama Girl?

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Fair notice, politically and socially, I am a reformed conservative. Until the last election I was a card-carrying Republican. I was driven over the edge during the second administration of George W. Bush. Nowadays, my political convictions are liberal, very liberal. I don't think anyone's religious convictions should be the deciding factor in legislation. I think everyone's rights should be protected by the Constitution, including whether homosexuals are allowed to marry or women are allowed to have control over their own bodies. And I think everyone has the right to affordable health care. You can believe whatever you want to believe, but you should not be allowed to legislate away anyone's rights because of your religious beliefs.

My Facebook friends are a mix of people from all over the place. Some are former co-workers, some are neighbors, some are from my 1970's church youth group, some from an online weight loss surgery support group, some are family, some are friends, some are acquaintances, some I've never met in real life. There are Baptists, Catholics, agnostics, atheists, Democrats, Republicans, independents, straights, gays, lesbians, teens, seniors, and everything in between. We come from all kinds of backgrounds and hold all kinds of jobs. Recreational activities include a wide range of activities like running, biking, roller derby, reading, and scrap-booking.

And we are just as diverse when it comes to our politics. Below are actual posts from my Facebook News Feed. Every one of these was posted by at least one of my friends. None of them are mine, although I have been known to re-post the ones I like. As you can see, most, but not all, of my friends are of the conservative persuasion.  After all, I do live in Texas.

People use Facebook to share their political opinions and pass on their religious convictions. If it weren't for these posts on Facebook, I think it most likely that I would not even know most of these people's politics nor their religion. Being behind the keyboard makes people brave. They seem more likely to express themselves. Most of the people I know would probably never appear at a political rally or speak about their convictions in a public forum. There is something "freeing" about stating your opinions from the keyboard rather than from a soapbox.

Is that good or is that bad? I'm not sure. I think there is definitely value in being able to share opinions and ideas. I saw this on Facebook too and it covers how I feel about many issues.

A very close friend recently expressed to me that she hated Facebook because it allowed people to make comments from behind the security of the keyboard. On the other hand, I love it. But then I do love a good discussion.

How do you feel about Facebook and the political views expressed there?