Facebook milking of events bugs me

[mam29]

One of my cousins no matter what event mostly sad news like bombings posts links

like thoughts and prayers with you.

other friends so same yet they not at all religious.

The boston things very sad but amazed at some of the links like they personally involved.

Its same when some one dies. any random celeb that dies get rip *.

They had field day with thatcher.

I also hate when they link to bad sad news usually kiddy deaths or peodos news as a parent I do my best to avoid.

anyone else bugged by this and think the same.

Most of time with majority of them seems pointless and milking any event going just to get attention themselves.

Hide them, de-friend them. I can't stand it either.

You chose to be friends with them. Don't really get any craplike that on FB or I'd hide or delete.

I hide them. It irritates the shit out of me when anything happens in the world and Bookface turns into the feckin news channel. Sorry to be harsh , but but the families grieving in Boston will not feel any better because some random in the Uk is thinking about them. It is vicarious, hijacking someone else's tragedy. You just want people to think you are ever so caring...... Sorry you bunch of frustrated reporters - we don't.

Mumsnet can also get a little like that at times. It sometimes seems like some frantic race to be the first to post on MN about a newsworthy event, and then the tens of threads that follow after, as in Baroness Thatchers death. Lots of people starting threads with different angles, disseminating the most minor of details and turning them into a whole new subject.

YANBU. Gets on my nerves too. Makes it worse when they add photos. Like the memorial for the girl killed by dogs recently. Huge group of people crowded round a load of tealights spelling out RIP Jade in a heart. Most of them there were taking photos on their phone and putting them up on FB apparently. Same with Hillsborough Memorial clock unveiled this weekend. Taking photos of it stopped at 3.06 and putting them on FB within seconds apparently.

I think people can link to, or comment on, whatever ghoulish news story they like. I don't do it, but it's a free country.

Hide them!

Yanbu especially those that set up "memorial for x" pages within seconds of news breaking.

That's up to the families of they want that crap, but some random grief vampire out for likes and munchausun style .

Grief vampire btw hands down the most useful descriptor I have ever learnt from mn. Could never express my hatred of it before!

YANBU. This is a recent phenomenon that started with Princess Di's death and has been exacerbated by social media, it's called 'mourning sickness', I think.

So agree with everyone here.

Can I relate a slightly related story.

I use facebook to keep in touch with extended family and a few selected friends.

One of these is my DD's best friend (friend at her request which quite surprised me at the time. I guess I felt a bit flattered tht a young person would bother with an oldie like me)

She posed the typical "So sad,Praying for the people in Boston"post

One of her friends (who I don't know) immediately posted a tirate about "typical Islamic behaviour"

I then posted "So sad that people of the Islamic faith are automatically blamed"

Same poster then went on to post the most vile degrading things people have committed in the name of Islam.

He then attacked me personally (who he doesn't even know) telling me to take my left wing policies blah, blah, blah.

I felt really shattered and shaken. I have always enjoyed keeping up to date with family and friends and this is the first time anything like this has happened.

I did notice later that his rantings had been removed (At the request of DD's friend) but it didn't make me feel any better.

Don't know if anyone will read this but it has made me feel a bit better just writing it down.

I actually think that seeing people showing their support and thoughtfulness in times like this is positive and it does help those affected to know that people are there for them even if they don't know them personally. I speak from recent experience as my husband is from Sandy Hook, CT. When the horrific school shootings happened, close friends one who is a teacher there and another a parent who lost her beautiful daughter spoke about how the outpouring of love and support from around the world (facebook included) helped comfort them and show that love will always shine through.
I think much more worrying than people posting messages of prayers and support are those messages of hate and intolerance like the previous poster mentioned. That's what would make me delete friends and not those showing that they care about their fellow humans and the terrible things some people have to endure in this world.

Coralanne, if you go to the privacy settings page, on the eft hand side you will see a facility where you can block facebook users from seeing anything you post on anyone's wall and vice versa .You can add this person, even if they are not a friend of yours. Just type in the name and FB will ask you if it is the correct reason to block. You don't have to see their mad rantings, and they can't see yours, so would not be able to have a go at you if you subsequentlybwritevabout anything on the girls wall.

*LayMizzRarb" Thanks for your advice. I'll certainly do that.

I don't often comment on anything that is posted. (Except privately). I have great chats with my DB as we live 3 hours apart and don't see each other very often.

We do phone ech other fairly regularly as well but sometimes when I am a t work and have a spare 5 minutes I'll dash something off to him.

I don't feel at all guilty doing this as I regularly work 3 to 4 hours unpaid overtime per week.