On facebook people changing profiles to have colors of France's flag

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Research, however, shows social media trends like embracing Facebook’s French flag profile picture can have damaging effects on giving. In a phenomenon researchers have dubbed "slacktivism," a study from the University of British Columbia revealed that posting support online enables people to associate with causes but makes them less likely to commit any resources to them.

ibtimes.com/facebook-french-flag-why-you-shouldnt-change-your-profile-picture-support-paris-2187416

news.ubc.ca/2013/11/08/slacktivism-liking-on-facebook-may-mean-less-giving/

Pray for them, send money to some charity that is doing work among those affected, but don’t fool yourself into thinking that changing your personal never-to-be-seen-by-a-Parisian Facebook page is going to do anything more than calling your fries “Freedom Fries” ever did. It is not just that it is pointless. If it were only pointless, then it would be fine to do it if you were so inclined. No, if you convince others to think this way you may actually be encouraging less meaningful action rather than more. That is a bad thing that feels like a good thing, not just a pointless thing.
I wonder if the same things happens with prayers. Some people will tell someone “I’ll pray for you” as a way of not talking the time to listen to the other’s worries. Sure they may pray but they also don’t offer kindness or support.
 
Boy there’s a lot of self righteousness running through this thread. 😦
 
You declaring is a meaningless gesture doesn’t make it so for anyone else but you. You should know that.
It does if it a gesture without meaning. Which it mostly is. Would you like it better if instead of meaningless we just used impotent?
 
Eh, I probably am more inclined to your point of view, though I suppose I don’t pay it that much thought. I tend to figure that while I think it rather silly, the people doing it probably mean well, and it’s not hurting anything for them to do it. I agree that it’s partly a matter of it being made that easy to do. (That, and Paris is, of course, much sexier than rural Mexicans being murdered by drug cartels. 😉 )
You’ve kind of hit on why these shows of solidarity are difficult; more than one tragedy has happened recently. I’ve seen a lot of pictures/memes and posts addressing this. I didn’t change mine because I already have a image on mine and it’s a drag to change it out. However, my twibbon is for an organization/movement I support year round and it’s something I’m passionate about.
 
I suppose they remind me a bit of bumper stickers, something that I’ve never quite seen the point of, even if I agree with the sentiment. Okay, you’re pro-life/pro-choice/think people should vote for Bob Dole/want Tibet to be free. But what, precisely, is having a sticker on your car that proclaims so going to DO about it? Of course, it’s your car, and you certainly have the right to festoon it however you want, but…in the end, what’s the point?

Perhaps it’s partly a generational thing, or perhaps I’m missing something. Either is certainly possible.
 
It does if it a gesture without meaning. Which it mostly is. Would you like it better if instead of meaningless we just used impotent?
You think it is. I don’t. If Twitter/Facebook was a thing around 9/11 I would have appreciated seeing the American flag superimposed on a tweeps pic. Instead there was a forum (like CAF) that I followed and members were from all over the world. I saw the practical gestures (offering people a place to stay if they were stranded after the airplanes were grounded) as well as words of support and comfort from them. It meant a lot even though I didn’t need help and they had no idea who I was.

This isn’t hurting anyone. Why are you so against it? I appreciate a curmudgeon but I really don’t get why you have such strong feelings about this especially since you think it’s meaningless or impotent. You haven’t managed to sway my beliefs but instead gave me a opportunity to articulate them. Getting irritated by something that someone else does that doesn’t hurt you or anyone else is supremely silly and I would think a waste of time and energy. Maybe you should spend time praying about this instead.
 
I suppose one could make the argument that it isn’t meaningless or effective by using the gay marriage example. Many people who work at my diocese or even my parish had those flags and social and legal definitions were changed… I just think the average person with any flag probably does not have a grasp on the reality of the situation.

I think Facebook and these social causes of the week are a form of control and peer pressure designed to assuage the masses and direct an agenda that is not really thought about or educated about. It is an ego stroke for the poster. But I fail to see the real benifit either socially politically or spiritually. Group thought rarely is a good thing in this case.

Still wondering if these same people who have flags superimposed are socially active about abortion on Facebook or would that cost some friends…?

But it is politically acceptable to have this flag…

"Red! For the blood of angry men! Black! For the dark of ages past!

Who will join in our crusade who will be strong and stand with me!? Beyond the baracade is there a world you long to see!"
Victor Hugo
 
I suppose one could make the argument that it isn’t meaningless or effective by using the gay marriage example. Many people who work at my diocese or even my parish had those flags and social and legal definitions were changed… I just think the average person with any flag probably does not have a grasp on the reality of the situation.

I think Facebook and these social causes of the week are a form of control and peer pressure designed to assuage the masses and direct an agenda that is not really thought about or educated about. It is an ego stroke for the poster. But I fail to see the real benifit either socially politically or spiritually. Group thought rarely is a good thing in this case.

Still wondering if these same people who have flags superimposed are socially active about abortion on Facebook or would that cost some friends…?

But it is politically acceptable to have this flag…

"Red! For the blood of angry men! Black! For the dark of ages past!

Who will join in our crusade who will be strong and stand with me!? Beyond the baracade is there a world you long to see!"
Victor Hugo
I don’t have a ton of facebook friends but I’m seeing a few who do both, a few who do neither, the rest do one or the other.
 
I don’t see it as a meaningless gesture as others have suggested. I see it as a way of outwardly expressing sympathy for a country/city that has just been traumatized. It goes to the intent of the poster – kind of like tying a yellow ribbon on a mailbox or putting a blue stripe on your car in support of law enforcement.

If you don’t want to participate, fine; but I think to malign others’ good intentions is a little mean-spirited.
Yeah.

We didn’t have this thing during 9-11. I’m fortunate not to have lost anyone that day but several of my family members were on the spot. Almost all of my friends had a family member in the towers or in the surrounding area.

If I went online to see the sea of humanity sporting our flag, whether they gave move tangible assistance or not, it would have been a small comfort to know that people on the other side of the planet were thinking about us when there is someone in Colorado going online to tell me “What about this worse tragedy going on over in this other country?!”

Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
 
I suppose one could make the argument that it isn’t meaningless or effective by using the gay marriage example. Many people who work at my diocese or even my parish had those flags and social and legal definitions were changed… I just think the average person with any flag probably does not have a grasp on the reality of the situation.

I think Facebook and these social causes of the week are a form of control and peer pressure designed to assuage the masses and direct an agenda that is not really thought about or educated about. It is an ego stroke for the poster. But I fail to see the real benifit either socially politically or spiritually. Group thought rarely is a good thing in this case.

Still wondering if these same people who have flags superimposed are socially active about abortion on Facebook or would that cost some friends…?

But it is politically acceptable to have this flag…

"Red! For the blood of angry men! Black! For the dark of ages past!

Who will join in our crusade who will be strong and stand with me!? Beyond the baracade is there a world you long to see!"
Victor Hugo
Again, to be fair: a number of my friends on FB who are quite active in pro-life circles (think attending all-night prayer vigils in front of the local abortion clinic, that sort of thing) have superimposed those flags on their profiles, and post about abortion and pro-life matters quite frequently. I have no idea if they’re representative of pro-lifers in general in this matter. For context, these are youngish people, mostly in their 20s. Some are college or grad students. The vast majority of those who are married are rather obviously following the Church’s teachings on matters contraceptive, if you get my drift. 😉 (As for the others, I have no idea what’s going on in their sex lives, and don’t presume even to wonder.)
 
Do you hear the people tweet? Tweeting the songs of apathy. It is a posting and a comment that few will probably see. They will blindy pick a cause because zuckerberg told them so it is a cause that Google and cnn say is going to blow!"

Sung to do you hear the people sing from les mis. Please don’t be fooled by the irony of a French play done in cockney to be more palatable to the medium in which it was used…

Facebook anyone?
 
I’m sure prayers (even if a Lutheran) are more meaningful than a flag or frankly even blood. You know fasting could be a great form of solidarity and no one would even have to know. Something about a father who sees what is done in secret or the prayers of a righteous man. Or is the bible too outdated for today’s tragedies…😉
:confused:
Why are people here assuming that I don’t pray, or fast , or take the Bible seriously?
So people who put the profile on the FB don’t pray, fast, or take the Bible seriously?
Isn’t that making a lot of unfair assumptions?
This is what go me going here, in the first place.
The assumption that people that click like on FB don’t donate money,
or do other things to help causes, or offer up prayers, or whatever.
yes even a Lutheran can offer up prayers for people in need!
The idea that they mindlessly click “Like” and then go away thinking “Yup I’ve done all I need to do.”
 
If just 1 percent ( get it, the one percent). Of people who have this flag had a mass said for the same intention France would be blessed. Who one these boards has done that? Full disclosure, I have not either…
 
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