Do I have a bone to pick with Facebook or some other social media platform? No, not really. I find that social media can be useful as a tool to get out a message to lots of people quickly. When we almost lost our youngest son in an auto accident several years ago, I used social media to let people know the severity of his condition. Through social media, we had responses from as far as Australia that he had been added to prayer chains. Given that so many people thought he would die, he is our miracle child… and I credit social media for helping get to so many wonderful people who prayed for Ethan. This is definitely the good.
You've heard or read the saying… it must be true, it was on the internet. So, let's talk about the bad. There seems to be lots of misinformation throughout social media. Some of the misinformation is posted on purpose. Some of it is posted by people who are simply regurgitating something they have heard… but they have not verified. And sometimes the information posted is simply made-up… fiction, but it sounds good. Open Facebook on any given day and you'll see great things about a business and fifteen minutes later, everyone is jumping of the bandwagon to bash the very same business. It's amazing, but that is what our culture has become. With social media we are a world full of gossips and our news sometimes begins with "Well, I heard that…" and then you get the rest of the story.
Again, social media can be good. It has a track record of making a difference in the way we communicate. If it was always good, well, the world would be a better place.
And now the ugly. I like politics. I enjoy watching the candidates. I enjoy learning about the candidates. I enjoy the questions and answers of most political debates. Yet I hate the spectacle of how some special interest groups use the internet and social media to frame a truly fabricated story as a real-world life or death article. Some of the social media ads and rumor-mongering gets traced through two, three, or maybe even as many as four dummy companies used to spread untrue factoids. And the really ugly thing is… many of us are so gullible it must be true… because we saw it on the internet.
Please be careful when using supposed facts from the internet and/or social media sites. Try to verify statements that you believe sound too outlandish. Don't get too caught up in the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of social media.
We welcome two new members to the Silver City Grant County Chamber of Commerce. Delta Dental of New Mexico is a New Mexico-owned dental insurance company with the largest provider network in the state, providing dental benefit plans for New Mexico residents since 1971. Though they are based in Albuquerque, Delta Dental has served citizens throughout the entire state with quality dental benefit plans and easy access to practicing dentists. For more information, call their office at (505) 883-4777.
Another new member is The Fillmore Eye Clinic. Dr. Fillmore and his staff have offices in Silver City, Las Cruces, Alamogordo, Deming, Ruidoso, and Truth or Consequences. The Fillmore Eye Clinic offers patients the latest in eye care, including premium lenses, cataract surgery, laser vision correction, eyelid and corneal surgery, diabetic eye exams and treatment, and routine eye exams. Their new office in Silver City is located at 1210 East 32nd Street (next to Sunrise Expresso). They are currently accepting new patients and take almost all insurance including: Tricare, Medicare, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Lovelace, Presbyterian, Molina, Medicaid and GEHA. Give the Fillmore Eye Clinic a call at (575) 534-2020 if you have questions or you would like to schedule an appointment. We say Thank You to The Fillmore Eye Clinic and Delta Dental – our new members.
If you are reading this article on the internet… it's true. I promise. It isn't fake. It's the real McCoy. If you want to question us, call us at 538-3785 and we will verify it's true. Really!