Analyzing a Post from the Past

Facebook is a platform I seldom use, let alone post on. Usually I just use it to keep in touch with family members and see what they’re up to. Occasionally, if I have cool pictures to share or a development to announce, I’ll make a short post. The post I’m going to analyze, however, doesn’t really fit either of those categories: it’s a spur of the moment post I made more than half a year ago.

“It’s warm and sunny outside. It smells like barbecue. My dogs are cute. No schoolwork till late August. Sometimes it’s nice to appreciate the little things, even in this chaos.” (May 2020)

Purpose:

The purpose of this post was really just for me to reflect, and to be optimistic. May of 2020 was a really hard month for me personally. COVID-19 had kicked me out of my dorm halfway through the semester, and though I’d just finished it, the pandemic showed no signs of slowing down. I used to think “oh, it’ll be over by April, maybe May,” but by that point I wasn’t sure. The rest of my family was worried as well. In this post, I focused on all the good things I could think of, trying to show myself and everyone in my “Friends” circle on Facebook (family members, friends, colleagues) that even in the face of the chaos happening, it was still okay to slow down and focus on the positive.

Audience:

As I mentioned before, the audience for this post was everyone I was friends with on Facebook. That circle is mostly my immediate and extended family, some of whom live far enough away that this is our only mode of communication. I also had a couple of friends, and some former classmates or high school teachers. Just a group of people I knew either deeply or on the surface level.

Stakeholders:

There aren’t really any stakeholders in this post– unless you count my dogs! It doesn’t really affect anyone. It’s just a short, positive message.

Context:

As I mentioned before, this was when America was really beginning to suffer from being in the throes of the pandemic. The “two-week” lockdown had been extended for an indefinite period. People were tired of being stuck at home. People were scared of the virus, and on behalf of their friends and family. I was hoping that if I tried to be optimistic in the face of the uncertainty, maybe I could help my friends and family be positive as well.