Among those who read my posts, there may be some who know me, but I know almost nothing about most of them. It is for their convenience, not mine, that they speak as if they already know me. I would appreciate it if this distinction were not misunderstood. This is a communicative discrepancy that occurs frequently in a society where social media has become highly developed.
To this, the counterargument “Then don’t use social media” does not hold water. “Knowing information published on social media” is not synonymous with “knowing me.” To speak to someone while blurring this line is, frankly, the height of rudeness. This applies whether the intent is conveyed directly or indirectly.
When a reader follows a creator’s posts, “knowing the published information” alone does not equate to “knowing the person.” The relationship between the creator and the reader is nothing more and nothing less than that. The point is that it is inappropriate to speak to someone as if you “know them” while ignoring this fundamental boundary.
