Kaleidoskope

The volatility of statements and articles in social media such as Facebook results in a novel, contemporary phenomenon. Never before has the abundance of information reached the interested party in such an enormously profligate manner. Finding orientation requires enormous skill in selecting relevant topics. There is too easily the danger of getting bogged down in the millions of messages circulating, which come at us like a tsunami, the proof of whose confidentiality first requires a thorough examination. The world has become complex. A medium like Facebook reflects this situation. Everything that was exchanged in earlier times in towns, villages and communities - gossip, rumors, denials, news - manifests itself through Facebook on a worldwide level due to the enormous spread through the World Wide Web. Almost anyone can comment on a topic. With a little skill, viewers and followers can be found. What then took place exclusively in shielded editorial offices in a controlled form can theoretically be practiced by anyone today. Accordingly, the flood of articles is extremely high. The entire media landscape is changing. Facebook has become one of the defining media of news transmission, as there are groups for almost every conceivable field of interest in which people can exchange ideas mutually and for the benefit of all. The present work is a compilation of my own articles from 7 years of Facebook membership in chronological order. There appears a variety of interesting topics - current, contemporary, along with private views. Quite a few things are included: Memories of significant concerts and events, obituaries of well-known public figures, reviews of fellow artists, accounts of hiking tours, reflections on my own formative experiences, political matters, philosophical remarks, and much more. The works of Walter Kempowski, above all "Plankton", in which random topics are illuminated by the most diverse persons, serve as a model for this list. The succession of short contributions gradually produces a mood picture in the contemporary historical framework, in which developments in society and politics become increasingly clear. The difference with the present book is that here only the own person appears, but from the basic concept the same goal direction pursues. Therefore a mood picture of an epoch from a multiplicity of observations and descriptions develops for these 7 years.