I get my news from Facebook (and I’m not ashamed to admit it)

My professional background was in politics, where cable news was on around the clock, my internet homepage was a news site, daily digests from a dozen news sources were in my inbox and I subscribed to a newspaper and news magazines at home.  What I wouldn’t give to have some of that time back; that time I spent absorbing and analyzing every kernel of news I could find.  As I transitioned out of that work into being home with my babies full time, I sometimes attacked celebrity “news” with the same level of scrutiny.  I was a bit of an expert on Tom & Katie and an early member of the “Save Katie” movement.  I am relieved she saved herself, but sorry I spent so much time following both stories.

Now with a houseful of Smithlets, the news is never on.  I don’t want them watching even the commercials, let alone the news content.   And when they’re in bed and I can relax, the news isn’t what I want to watch with my husband and a glass of red.

Admittedly, having Facebook on my iPhone is a bit of a distraction, especially on my tired days.  I’ve considered giving it up, but in many ways, it really is a lifeline for an extrovert like me who mostly interacts with only my kids.  I realized this morning that without it, I would have no idea about what is happening in the world.  Yesterday alone, it saved me 3 hours of watching the US-Canada Women’s hockey game on our DVR.  Thank you Facebook friends who posted spoilers, some of them expletives, as it happened on your TVs. Downside: I didn’t get my laundry folded.

Apparently, only on Facebook can we find out that there is massive suppression  and government-inflicted violence going on this very second in Venezuela.  No major news outlet is covering the story, and with their domestic news sources all owned by the government, only 21^st century information systems, like facebook and twitter, are giving that story any coverage. 

In a nod to Facebook’s reach, a video is circulating called, “I am a Ukrainian. This needs to go viral.”  Were it not for Facebook, I wouldn’t know either of these stories, and many others, existed.   

Having smart friends with divergent worldviews on Facebook, I can usually get a pretty good idea of what's going on from what is posted and who is posting it.  I can pretty quickly determine the “slant” a story has and if I am interested enough, go to a trusted news source for more information.  From there, I can think, act or pray.  

So, while I need to be diligent about when and how much time I spend scrolling my newsfeed, for news-junkies-turned-mommies, Facebook is about the best and most efficient news source around.  Plus, it’s peppered with funny memes, posts from other mamas and pictures of my friends’ kids, none of which I would enjoy and appreciate within the walls of our little brick box. 

**An interesting thing about Ukraine is that everyone I know that has posted on it sides with the protesters, despite those friends holding a wide range of political views.  I'm sure solutions differ broadly, but everyone seems to grasp the magnitude of the situation.  If there is a counterpoint position, I am curious to read it and welcome you to post it in the comments.  My Ukrainian ancestors were contemporaries of Katherine the Great and, thank God, left before their town was wiped out by Bolsheviks.  I know very little about the last 130 years there, though I wouldn’t be surprised if that history plays a part in current events.