Social Media, Celebrity Deaths, and Learning words like "Solipsism"

Not the most captivating title....I know.  Pues, ni modo- which translates into "So be it" or "Fuck it"!  I prefer the latter.  I can't speak for everybody.  However, in light of Robin Williams' death, it donned on me that I receive a majority of my news from Facebook.  Be it friends' reactions, shared links, or what have you; I'm always finding things out on the world's, largest, chisme (gossip) platform!

I don't know if that makes me less educated, a simpleton, a follower of the masses, etc.  It just is what it is! We are no longer in the era where we walk out to the end of the driveway in our bathrobe and boxers to pick up the daily newspaper, go inside our home, and read the paper over coffee.  Many of us are working two to three jobs or pursuing creative endeavors, while working 8-12 hours at a job to support ourselves.  It is what it is!  So what's the easiest thing to do when we first wake up?  Grab our phones or tablets and check our Facebook and Instagram profiles to see how many likes we got from our posts!

I don't do that though.  I ain't that needy for validation....Psssshhhhhh! Right! We all are to some degree.  Can't blame us for being this way.  I mean, we are all closed up in our own digital worlds.  We would rather be on the phone while shopping for groceries or ordering food than interacting with the person that is directly in front of us, trying to take our order or ringing up our groceries.  Don't let me get started on the people that criticize you for getting the order wrong or who are giving you specific directions on how to bag their food, while they are on their mo'f'n phones! Putos!  Sorry....Got a little carried away there...

I'm going a bit off topic here.  Since social media has exploded over the last six years, many popular, iconic, artists, athletes, political figures, religious leaders, and personalities, have passed away.  When this happens, you will often see posts with a "RIP" message.  They dominate the conversation, or "trend", as it is called in the social media sphere.

Very rarely do people know the deceased celebrity. Regardless, the outpouring occurs, because the work of the individual has affected each person in some way.   What's wrong with this?  Nothing!  Is it a vain attempt to garner attention for more likes, retweets, shares...I don't know what the hell else...Pokes?  Not that one....

Maybe it is.  If so....Who the fuck cares?  Whatever this little soapbox, channel, feed, or platform that social media has created for each individual, belongs to that person.  We can choose to interact or ignore any person's avatar-esque galaxy.

I caught glimpses of many posts that "We" (meaning everyone on Facebook who posted about Robin Williams' death) were only posting about it to fuel our egos and to gain likes.  Or, that it was some competition or popularity contest to gain more traffic to our pages.  I saw another post from a friend that quoted Bible verses condemning suicide, that ended with a "May God have mercy on your soul."  This! Coming from a fellow actor?  My favorite was a response to a friend's post that stated something, along the lines of "Actors have it tough...Please be kind to actors."  The first response was "I didn't know such a 'Solipsistic' response was possible."  Ouch!  I had to look up that word, because, if I see the letters "s", "o", and "p" so close together; I start thinking about Sopes! Sopes de carne asada or Sopa de res....Going off track again, but if you have not had a sope, you need to!

Think about it.  Isn't social media about advocating solipsism?  It's all about "me"! I did this. I'm doing that. I'm dating so and so. I'm here. I'm eating this. I'm drunk. I'm sad. I'm horny. I'm high. I'm angry, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm....

I wanted to chime in on all these posts and replies that I found completely asinine, but I realized that: 1. I don't want to feed the trolls 2. Everyone has a right to say whatever the fuck they want 3. The most important one...It just is What it Motherfucking Is!

RIP Robin Williams. Only you knew your pain.  Godspeed on this next journey...I still remember wanting to buy the Mork suit for Halloween, but I was only 4.  They didn't make any in my size.  I know you are getting many hugs in the next life and chillin' with your homie Richard Pryor :-)