If you’re reading this blog sometime in the near or distant future, let me set the stage for you: in February 2015, someone posted a picture of a dress on the internet and social media exploded. People disagreed on what color it was. Families were torn apart. Marriages ruined, households were forever divided. (Possible exaggeration)

No sooner had the Facebook comments started, than the cynics began shouting, “What a waste of time! We have more important things to talk about!” From a time management perspective, I’d like to offer an alternate opinion.

My Thoughts

Do we have more important things to talk about? Absolutely. Does that mean we can’t sometimes use our time to engage in debate about something more frivolous than politics, religion, or current events? The two aren’t mutually exclusive.

Social media in itself can be a real Time Killer, but I noticed something interesting about the “dress debates.” A lot of them happened offline. My sister called me to say, “OK, this dress thing, we need to discuss.” I overheard it talked about at coffee shops, college campuses, and dinner tables.

Could Be Worse

I’ll also argue, that of the other frivolous conversations out there, it’s not too bad. We’re not discussing a celebrity wedding, divorce, or scandal. It’s not vulgar, inappropriate or disgusting. This dress simply got people asking each other if they saw things the same way they did, and at its core, I’m not certain that’s such a frivolous thing anyway.

So, in summary, yes: I’m kind of sick of hearing about “The Dress.” But before we cynically dismiss it as a waste of time, let’s just be amused by the fact that the internet all came together one week to argue about something silly, and we all deserve a break from the serious once in a while.

#WhiteAndGold

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