The Problem With Social Media

While I was drafting my last post something happened on Facebook which summed up the problems of the online world.

It involved pasta sauce, which I have found to be a big on-line shamer by those who make their own sauce.

A very good friend posted on FB a picture of some pasta sauce that she had found that did not contain certain foods that her child is allergic to. (As background her child has numerous allergies and food sensitivities.) People made comments about liking that particular brand, great that you’ve found something, shame your kid can’t eat that. I commented, which is something I rarely do, a joke about how much she bought.

Someone asked “why not make your own sauce?” An innocuous comment on its own. The response - “I’ve got enough on my plate.” The only possible responses are, nothing, I’m sorry to hear that or anything I can do to help. But this is pasta sauce. People who make pasta sauce cannot leave pasta sauce buyers in peace. So does the commenter say I’ll make you some? No she replies “it’s pretty simple.” And that made me incensed, so from rarely commenting on FB I now comment twice on the same post in a short space of time. I thought before posting – what would I do if this was a real life interaction I was part of, I don’t know this other person, I should support my friend – she said she has enough on her plate not that she doesn’t know how or doesn’t want to or doesn’t have time. So my response was “give her a break”. Then someone else posted if it works for her family it’s a win. And that’s when I got worried. You see it so often, one comment becomes so many, and that was certainly not what I wanted to happen with my comment. It was not to be the start of a long line of jar is best.

The make-your-own person quickly responded with a back off and her comment was for the OP not anyone else. I could have responded to that but I didn’t because, it was not my thread, I didn’t want to spend time pointing out that she was not listening to the OP, I didn’t want to make it uncomfortable for my friend and anyone else following her. She knows I’ve got her back.

What I have learnt from this is:- as it didn’t involve yarn there was no piling on in the comments, never admit you buy pasta sauce, don’t comment on FB.