Y'all know what I'm talking about. I know that I'm super guilty of it myself. Whenever a controversial or important issue impacts me or my community, the "Post a status" Facebook button calls me and my fingers beg to write mini essays. I know many other people feel the same way -- you have something to say and you want to be heard. One of the easiest and most accessible ways to do that happens to be online, most notably on Facebook. It's a community purposefully constructed solely of your friends, family and people who probably like you. If not, you can block and unfriend them. It's an environment conducive to positive responses to whatever you post. It serves as a fantastic stage to test drive your ideas for change.

But that's just it, it's a test drive. I still love to see friends and classmates rant on Facebook about relevant things and have their friends and family come in likes and comments to support them. Social media has become an integral part of our lives, it means something to post a status, especially one that is three paragraphs long explaining why fracking sucks. However, we don't actually live on the internet. Fracking doesn't affect Facebook, it affects the very real Earth that we separate ourselves from when we start preaching on Facebook.

It's all well and good (and even encouraged) to raise awareness on Facebook, but that can't be your end-all. Anyone can write an essay, but not everyone can instigate tangible change. After you protest Trayvon Martin's shooting, maybe go to an actual protest? After you post an exhaustive list of why people should support Bernie, maybe go out and participate in his campaign?

There are a lot of ways to continue the work that you've sowed on Facebook. You could start an organization at your school, you can start a fundraiser, you can go out and talk to at least one person face-to-face about whatever you're passionate about. It might not always work because you haven't handpicked the members of your college campus or community like you have your friends on Facebook, but something good is bound to result from it.

However, I understand that it may not always be possible to leave the sphere of the e-preacher. It takes resources, time, and a bit of mental strength to practice what you preach. Maybe you're too young, maybe you have no transportation, maybe you have no money, maybe you're sick, etc. Whatever the reason, I'm glad y'all still tried to join whatever cause you're into through Facebook. I hope that whenever the time comes that you're well and able to get your hands dirty, that you take up the call that you've sent out.

And yes, I understand the irony of writing an Odyssey article about the need to stop writing articles online and then expecting it to inspire people.