TODAY I SHALL JUDGE
THE “LIKE” BUTTON ON FACEBOOK
Unlike this blog. The “like” button is not meant as a tool of judgement, but purely of affirmation. If you dislike a post on facebook, you need to go to the trouble of writing “dislike” in the comment field. Generally I’m incredibly annoyed by spaces that encourage people to be reflexively and uncritically supportive of each other – that shit should be earned – but in the case of facebook, I can see the social necessity.
We are increasingly encouraged to throw more and more of ourselves into the cold uncaring void of the internet. By “ourselves” I mean information about us and our daily lives. By “void” I suppose I more accurately mean “cauldron of simmering ignorant hatred” just look at youtube comments if you think the internet should be described in any other way. We share of ourselves without necessarily getting any response, or any positive response. This is because people are lazy and scared. Lazy in that they don’t feel like actively giving feedback, scared in that they if they actually say something they too subject themselves to the relentless negativity of the internet.
So we have the “like” button: the laziest most non-committal way to affirm someone’s being. It’s sort of depressing but there we are.
THE “LIKE” BUTTON HAS BEEN JUDGED AND IS HEREBY DECREED
A SAD NECESSITY OF MODERN LIFE
The Thrice-Weekly Judgement 