Mikey doesn't like it!

As mobile phone technology races ahead at an ever-dizzying speed, I find myself becoming increasingly unfamiliar with new-fangled idioms, expressions and pseudo words.

Some of this new terminology is simply inaccurate.

For example, when my daughter writes "LOL," which presumably means "laugh out loud," did she really laugh aloud? Usually not. Not even a quiet chuckle.

(Oops, I meant "when my daughter 'types.'" No one writes anymore. On further thought, she doesn't really "type" either. What's the correct verb? Texts? Swipes? Punches keys? Actually, it's more like screen tapping. Another correction: she doesn't write "LOL," but "lol." Who uses capitals anymore?)

When you "friend" someone on social media, are you truly befriending him or her? Or are you merely giving that individual permission to view a virtual profile, which really amounts to no more than some electronic ones and zeroes on some unknown computer server somewhere in the world. Does that constitute "friendship?"

Conversely, I recently "unfriended" a certain individual because of some images she had been posting that I deem inappropriate and immodest. Was that "unfriendly" of me? She happens to be a dear friend. Needless to say, our friendship survived the "unfriending" intact. She probably never even became aware of it.

When you "like" someone's post, do you really like it? Someone recently posted frightening information about a gruesome terror attack. I was shocked to read below that this posting received numerous "likes" from well-intentioned individuals who are obviously repulsed by the content of the article.

When you originally "like" something but on second thought "unlike" it, does that mean you dislike it?

Hey, this just gave me a great idea for a new television commercial for Life Cereal, new-and-improved for the internet era. Instead of all the time-consuming footage of Mikey eating the cereal and being observed incredulously by his brothers, the scene can present Mikey "liking" it on social media. "Hey! Mikey 'likes' it!" That's much more cool and contemporary, anyhow.

This hits rather close to home for me, as I grew up in the '70s being called Mikey, and by default, "liked" everything. (Everything except for avocado, that is. Yuck. I never cared much for Life Cereal, either.) But now, over a third of a century later, I cannot get myself to "like" anything, even posts that I do in fact like.

Speaking of unlikeable phraseology, here is the one I find least likeable, or shall I say, most detestable: "selfie." Read more about it in my next post.

Sincerely,
A disgruntled Mikey