Things I’ve learned about social media:

Much of it is neither social nor media. That doesn’t mean I don’t like it. It keeps me somewhat up to date on what folks are thinking. Some of it is scary. Some of mine likely scares others. It’s a consequence of unfettered free speech run amok.

The above is littered with rationalization. Occasionally, I’m just of a mind to stir stuff up. I’m getting better, though.

Facebook has turned a birthday into the busiest day of the year. It’s gratifying to know that people care, but it reminds me of a band playing a smash hit. Before it starts, when the familiar intro begins, people applaud in advance. At the end, the place goes wild. Then there’s a belated roar. “Thank you, thank you, no, please, thank you very much, you’re a great audience, thank you, really, I sincerely thank you … me and the boys do have more songs, you know … no, please.”

Mainly, I make observations on Facebook that are too long for Twitter. They’re mostly thoughtful with an aspect of intended humor. I like Twitter better because it doesn’t give folks the room to be as mean. This, unfortunately, begat memes. Mean memes.

I’m always late with social media. Alleged friends and commercial necessity have drug me kicking and screaming from MySpace to Facebook to Instagram and likely beyond, and even I have a finite tank of time to waste. I half-watch a lot of TV while on Facebook. It slows my reading down. It slows my writing, at least fiction and songs, down. In fairness, working to make my website(s) prosperous has a lot to do with it, too. Money. Bills. You know.

The reason there are so many people mad as hell on social media is that there are so many mad as hell. Social may be a bit skewed toward the mad as hell.

One of my favorite mischievous pastimes is to post a completely innocuous post and see how long it takes the comments to morph, chameleon-like, into some completely unrelated political screed.

Flowers are pretty.

Lemme tell you something about flowers, bub …

Check me out on Twitter (@hmdutton) and on Facebook (Monte.Dutton) and my pages “Friends of Monte Dutton” (actually begun by a friend. Duh.) and “The Audacity of Dope” (named after my first novel). Take a look at my books, fiction and non, on Amazon. Look up my YouTube channel by name.