There was an election in Turkey over the weekend.
My Facebook news feed is full of folks who are predicting the beginning of the end for AKP. The change in the vote results is quite noticeable. Unfortunately, it’s mainly the right switching from the religious freaks to the nationalist freaks. This past summer folks updated their photos and their names. They virtually joined protests. The folks who did it had a huge sense of pride and community.
But it’s all fake.
You can’t change the world on Facebook. You can’t leave a country when you’re 18, never vote, and enact change.
And yet we all do it.
We sign online petitions as if anything will change as a result. We ask politicians to pay attention. Governments to change their ways. All because we hit the “Connect with Facebook” button, and share our email address.
I genuinely have no idea what has happened with any of the online petitions that I’ve signed. And I’m no longer going to sign a petition unless I’m willing to put money or action behind the signature.
Because it needs to feel sincere.