Over the course of time, we’ve begun to think of Thanksgiving as that in-between holiday. Due to the symbolic decorations associated with Halloween and Christmas, merchandise businesses and mass media almost ignore Thanksgiving completely. Many of us think of this holiday as a “gather around the TV and eat” day. It only makes sense that we take Thanksgiving for granted due to cultural influences. The purpose of the holiday is also easily overlooked in general.
    However, one form of social media has made a huge impact in our lives and is a common tool we use to express ourselves. I’ve noticed Facebook is currently used to express gratitude. Some Facebook users like to count the days and express what they are thankful for. Such posts receive both positive and critical reception from the public.
    People who choose to be optimistic about this string of posts stand by the notion that it could be a good thing. If other Facebook users choose not to participate, they like to read some of the posts. Could it be that Facebook could be one of the many tools to reinforce the purpose of Thanksgiving? For some people, these posts give them something to think about. For users that choose to post, it reminds them of just how many things we have to be thankful for.
   On the other hand, others feel that Facebook shouldn’t be considered a reliable way to express thanks. The truth is we can’t tell who is truly sincere about what they say. The idea is that one day they are thankful, and the next day they forget all about it. Many Facebook users label such posts as cliché and scroll down the page.
   With these ideas in mind, I was hesitant draw any conclusions about these posts. In fact, I don’t like to rely on Facebook as a form of expression. But once I thought it through, I decided that the positive reception has more support and decided to start with “Day 3” to see if it made any impact on me at all.
   It is true that we can never tell who is sincere about their posts and who isn’t. But no individual can judge others for being grateful one day and ungrateful the next day. We all do that because the things we are thankful for are not on our minds all the time. Students don’t sit in a classroom every day and think about how grateful they are to be able to receive an education. But, if asked, almost anyone would say they are grateful to have the resources to continue their education. In order to make a Facebook post, one has to think of what to say and how to word it. The same is true for Thanksgiving posts. I decided to continue with the posts around “Day 7” because it made me stop and think about exactly what I have to be thankful for.
   No one can ever tell who is sincere about any kind of Facebook post because it’s social media via the Internet. Anyone can say whatever they want. With Facebook, most people know at least some of their Facebook friends. It doesn’t take a great writer to write something that sounds sincere if they mean it, and it doesn’t take a skilled reader to discern what is sincere and what’s not.
    What it comes down to is that it is impractical to judge whether these posts are beneficial or a waste of wall space. It’s best to focus on the impact it has on you specifically, if it has any impact at all. Personally, I would rather see a Thanksgiving post than an angry post. I was also intrigued that something was there to remind me about the purpose of Thanksgiving. As for the reception of the Thanksgiving posts, Facebook is generally a light-hearted tool of social media anyway. It’s full of meaningless posts for our amusement. If someone says what a good time he or she is having at an event, does it mean anything to anyone else two minutes later? So, if the Thanksgiving posts offer someone something to think about for about five minutes, why not read it for what it is? It’s better than the usual nothing.