Lubbock’s Facebook Comments: Where Kindness Meets Chaos

There are few places online more unpredictable than a Lubbock Facebook comment section...

You'll click on what seems like a completely harmless local news post, maybe something about a missing dog, road construction, or a new restaurant opening, and within a few comments, someone is threatening to "move out of this place," accusing somebody else of a wild conspiracy, or most often, turning the entire thing into a big, ugly political argument.

It's honestly almost impressive.

Lubbock News Blues

One of our local news stations, in particular, has become infamous for its comment sections, which feel less like an open community discussion and more like a digital saloon brawl. You open up the comment section, expecting mild opinions...and suddenly you're staring at blatant racism, sexism, bizarre threats, and people arguing with total strangers like they're settling a family feud from 1887.

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Bots and Jerks

Occasionally, you're reading a comment from a bot or a fake profile, but most of the time, you're reading a comment from a real, local person. The same person you might be standing in front of you in line at the grocery store, buying tortillas.

These Are Your Neighbors

That's the truly unsettling part about scrolling through Facebook sometimes. You start recognizing profile pictures. You start realizing that the guy posting unhinged comments about potholes or the weekend weather radar probably only lives a few blocks away from you and volunteers at your parents' church.

We Aren't ALL Awful...

Of course, not everyone around Lubbock is like that. Most people here are funny, kind, and basically normal. Unfortunately, social media has this magical ability to turn a small percentage of very loud and angry people into what feels like the entire population.

The internet seems to reward outrage, and there are people out there just waiting to argue, rant, or be offensive. It's lucrative for some people, and the results are pretty chaotic.

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We're Different Online

We all treat Facebook differently. Some people treat each post like a therapy session. Some treat them like courtroom trials. Others seem to believe every single story personally attacks them in some way.

At this point, reading the comments on local posts feels like driving by a bad car accident. You already KNOW it's going to be terrible, but you can't seem to look away.

A Little Advice

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, of course. Do what you want. Use your own discretion. But, maybe, just maybe, walk outside and touch some grass today. Take a little time off the internet when it becomes too much. They say words can't hurt someone, but we all know that's a bunch of baloney.

If only everyone in Lubbock had the manners online that they have everywhere else. We are known for being such a "friendly" city...but that doesn't exactly translate to our behavior on the internet.