Letting my fingers do the walking - #MFRW 52-week Blog Challenge

This week's writing prompt is "favorite social media platforms."

​OK, let's be brutally honest: I'm a hermit and limit my social media presence because I don't particularly like social media. I acknowledge its increased importance and the necessity of it in marketing; but, that doesn't mean I have to like it, especially when all too often it feels as though a double standard is applied and never in my favor.

I become flustered when I put out a statement of the sort other people (like my oldest brother) post and catch lots of flak for it. I hate when people argue against something I, for whatever reasons, cannot find the words to defend.

​One of those issues concerned the U.S. ban on horse slaughter. I support horse slaughter in the U.S. where we can control it and enforce humane practices. Someone else bemoaned that such beautiful animals were being killed and that someone ought to take care of them. It just wasn't right to kill them.

​Anyone who knows me knows that I love animals, horses being chief among them. But I also recognize they're livestock, not companion animals that occupy the sofa beside me while I read or watch TV. This particular person viewed horses as akin to unicorns, practically magical and sparkly and all things wonderful.

​My more pragmatic attitude did not stem her protest. I brought out the statistics: 96,000 unwanted horses every year were sent to slaughter. That's a lot of horses. Where would they all go?

Well, someone​ had to take them in, she insisted.

​"Who?" I asked. "Put your money where your mouth is. I did."

​Indeed I did. I adopted a horse, not just any horse, but a foundered horse that cost me a lot of money to care for. We had to euthanize him less than two years later. Euthanasia and hauling away of the carcass for proper disposal cost nearly $1,000--and that was 10 years ago.

​The bleeding heart complained she couldn't afford a horse, didn't live on a farm like rich folks like me.

​"So, board it. There are plenty of boarding stables around here."

​She didn't like that suggestion either, because saving those unwanted horses was someone else's responsibility and expense.

​Yeah, my overall experience with social media has been mixed and it tends toward the less pleasant. It's also a good way to waste time. But it's also a way to keep in touch with extended family. It's the lazy man's method for keeping in touch, for connecting with people without spending a lot of time on maintaining relationships.

That said, social media is useful. I won't deny that. Neither will I profess to any sort of proficiency in using it.

​That's one of the upsides to being a diehard introvert as well as a "crotchety old woman." Imagine what freedom from social conventions and expectations I'll have when I'm 80.