Recent posts on my Facebook newsfeed…

FB Friend 1: Have you noticed that Facebook has totally taken control of comments they don’t agree with? I think it’s high time to boycott!!

FB Friend 2: I’m one of the many that will be deleting my FB account. Catch up with me on MeWe. It’s very much like FB, very easy to learn!

FB Friend 3: I’m sure Zuckerberg will be deleting this post in the next half hour. Join me on Parler, where we are able to have a voice!

There were more similar posts on my newsfeed, but this gives you a snapshot of the volatile temperature currently permeating throughout Facebook and other mass-social media platforms in recent weeks.

If America is seen as the melting pot of immigrants from across the world, our personal newsfeeds on Facebook can be viewed as the mirror of our individual neighborhoods — our own little virtual world, complete with former classmates, third cousins, professional associates, and the uncle who you pray you won’t have to sit next to at the next family gathering. But unlike assigned seating at wedding receptions, we can customize our interaction with our Facebook Friends with options like who sees our posts and the ever-faithful Unfollow option.

While many will attribute the vastness of Facebook as its downside, its size can (and should) also be applauded for what is right about a social media platform that doesn’t cater to any one belief. But this thought process is not currently being shared by those landing on the far-right of the political spectrum.

FBFriend 3: Going to Parler. I will keep this for a while. Tired of the BS big FB brother restricting what I want to say.

FB Friend 4: The thing that bothers me about Facebook is that it is censoring the conservative voices, and I cannot support that anymore.

But is there a difference between censorship and performing as a watchdog over conspiracy theories and what the conservatives themselves have penned as fake news? While the world’s largest social media platform is now traded publicly, it is still a private company with a hands-on CEO who does not have to operate on the same standards as public institutions.

So as my newsfeed slowly shrinks from a wide spectrum of political voices to a more friendly common-voice, I mourn the loss of hearing from ALL SIDES. While these voices do not echo my own views, I believe it is important to hear opinions that differ from my own. And as my conservative friends move their battles to other social media platforms that support and encourage their principles, they are also fed a daily diet of sameness. It is bad for our country and dangerous for our future.

As temperatures cool as a result of time and distance away from the last general election, we must not think that the anger has simmered down—we just aren’t hearing it anymore. While we may all have a voice today, no one seems to be listening.

Heidi McCrary

Heidi is a writer and a regular contributor to Moxie Magazine. Her debut novel, “Chasing North Star” is available now at Kazoo Books and This is a Bookstore. And online wherever books are sold. Follow Heidi at heidimccrary.net and fb.com/HeidiMcCraryAuthor