"I tried leaving Facebook. I couldn’t" by Sarah Jeong https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/28/17293056/facebook-deletefacebook-social-network-monopoly
Great read, and this comment in a thread by her also hits home for me: https://twitter.com/sarahjeong/status/990974005162094599
@nolan What's interesting to me about the linked comment is not just the fact that women suffer from giving that emotional labor, but men are shortchanged by having it done for them.
There's a crisis of men who can't maintain the social relationships they need to thrive in life, and toxic masculinity is part to blame--but being insulated from emotional labor and developing the emotional maturity needed to maintain friendships can't be helping.
@starbreaker @zigg @nolan oh man, this is part of what terrifies me about raising my kids. I'm terrible at being social, making friends... how am I supposed to teach my kids?!?
@starbreaker @zigg @nolan This article really clarified the difficulty I have with leaving Facebook though. It really has replaced a skill that we used to have to practice regularly. I found myself trying to find some of my kids' friends' parents on Facebook the other day so I wouldn't have to ask for numbers and text them.
And then realized I was being ridiculous.
So I'm not quitting Facebook, but I am trying to cultivate friendships outside of it.
Don't ask me. I'm practically antisocial, and I don't have kids.
(It's not that I dislike children, but you gotta cook 'em right.)
@Einahpets I think that maybe raising them in an environment free of toxic masculinity is a great start... free to feel and free to wonder how their friends may be feeling.
But I know what you mean... I don't think to ask my _own_ friends how they are sometimes, stay connected one-on-one, how am I going to remember to teach my kids to?
We do the best we can as parents, ultimately, and hope that it's enough. 😊
@starbreaker @nolan It's gonna be tough to teach kids emotional maturity of this kind, but it's worth it.