Pondering a Public Post
Facebook, Twitter (X), TikTok—all allow and encourage public posts. Early online spaces required joining groups; there was usually some sort of vetting. Public posting changed the game.
I’m thinking there are a number of reasons someone might make a “public” post.
1. Bearing witness
Marking something that matters—an event, injustice, joy, or grief. Posting makes it public, a way of saying: this happened, and I saw it. In historic terms, it might be called a primary source.
2. Connection
To keep ties alive with society. A post can be shorthand for: I’m still here, and while society is large, I’m still a voice.
3. Legacy
To create a record. Whether you intend it or not, posts become part of the breadcrumb trail of your life. Some people post to leave markers their kids, grandkids, or even their future selves might stumble back upon.
4. Influence
To shape how others think or feel—persuasion, inspiration, provocation. Even if the impact is small, posting carries the implicit hope that words ripple outward. You may become an “influencer.”
5. Relief
To get something off your chest. Sometimes the act of posting is less about who reads it and more about putting it down, outside of yourself, letting it live in your words.
Obviously there could be other reasons, but this is a good start. I don’t have problems with the reasons—only with how it’s done.
With witness, there’s often little effort to check personal bias. It can come off not only as truth, but as absolute truth.
With connection, the assumption is that being a member has more merit than being an observer. Sometimes true, often just club bias.
With legacy, the word is misapplied. Legacy is your story told by someone else. Posting a picture of petting puppies doesn’t make you an animal lover. If no other record exists, maybe it stands—but it’s a thin legacy.
Influence is worth dwelling on. Why influence? Most often, because it has been monetized—through products, clicks, or both. That’s why “tricks of the trade” surface: absolutes like always, never, all, none, everything, nothing.
To influence is to persuade, and all is fair. One goal is to convince the reader the writer is wiser, smarter, closer to truth. Sometimes it’s linked to a profession—pastor, politician, teacher, author. Sometimes it comes with degrees or awards from somewhere distant.
The one that grates on me most: stacking dozens of quotes from famous people. Often they are long dead and cannot speak to a current reality. The assumption is that the “influencer” has read deeply. More likely they’ve searched and sprinkled, to create the impression: I am well read, so listen to me.
Copy the whole article, delete the tricks, the noise, the quotes—and see what the writer is really saying.
And finally, there’s the best reason of all: relief. Real relief. To get something out of your head and onto paper—or screen. And that’s why this one goes public.
A Work Progressing 
PPP
Pondering a Public Post
Facebook, Twitter (X), TikTok—all allow and encourage public posts. Early online spaces required joining groups; there was usually some sort of vetting. Public posting changed the game.
I’m thinking there are a number of reasons someone might make a “public” post.
1. Bearing witness
Marking something that matters—an event, injustice, joy, or grief. Posting makes it public, a way of saying: this happened, and I saw it. In historic terms, it might be called a primary source.
2. Connection
To keep ties alive with society. A post can be shorthand for: I’m still here, and while society is large, I’m still a voice.
3. Legacy
To create a record. Whether you intend it or not, posts become part of the breadcrumb trail of your life. Some people post to leave markers their kids, grandkids, or even their future selves might stumble back upon.
4. Influence
To shape how others think or feel—persuasion, inspiration, provocation. Even if the impact is small, posting carries the implicit hope that words ripple outward. You may become an “influencer.”
5. Relief
To get something off your chest. Sometimes the act of posting is less about who reads it and more about putting it down, outside of yourself, letting it live in your words.
Obviously there could be other reasons, but this is a good start. I don’t have problems with the reasons—only with how it’s done.
With witness, there’s often little effort to check personal bias. It can come off not only as truth, but as absolute truth.
With connection, the assumption is that being a member has more merit than being an observer. Sometimes true, often just club bias.
With legacy, the word is misapplied. Legacy is your story told by someone else. Posting a picture of petting puppies doesn’t make you an animal lover. If no other record exists, maybe it stands—but it’s a thin legacy.
Influence is worth dwelling on. Why influence? Most often, because it has been monetized—through products, clicks, or both. That’s why “tricks of the trade” surface: absolutes like always, never, all, none, everything, nothing.
To influence is to persuade, and all is fair. One goal is to convince the reader the writer is wiser, smarter, closer to truth. Sometimes it’s linked to a profession—pastor, politician, teacher, author. Sometimes it comes with degrees or awards from somewhere distant.
The one that grates on me most: stacking dozens of quotes from famous people. Often they are long dead and cannot speak to a current reality. The assumption is that the “influencer” has read deeply. More likely they’ve searched and sprinkled, to create the impression: I am well read, so listen to me.
Copy the whole article, delete the tricks, the noise, the quotes—and see what the writer is really saying.
And finally, there’s the best reason of all: relief. Real relief. To get something out of your head and onto paper—or screen. And that’s why this one goes public.
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