SOCIAL "ME"-DIA MADNESS!

I think freedom of speech is one seriously attractive freedom.

We get to say what we want to say!  How lucky is THAT.







 I LOVE Social Media.  I love having Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  I love how much we all get to share with each other to make each other laugh, empathize, think and be inspired and informed.  There is so much good in the world of Social Media that we get to truly enjoy.

As with anything, there's a balance.

There's that flipside of Social Media that is dark.  We all experience it and we all partake in it from time to time.  Some more than others.

It's that golden moment when something pops up in our newsfeed that offends us, pisses us off, upsets us, or are images so disgusting that they give us bad dreams. 

So, what's the proper response to all the negative?


Is attacking each other the answer?  It seems to be popular, right?

For example:  So and so posts that they don't like Bic Pencils and BOY the comment thread can go on an on.  There will be people who attack so and so for being an idiot, not reading the facts, not being good enough to post their opinion... And then there's the other folks who stand up and say, NO we don't like Bic Pencils either!  And on and on it goes. (Let the record state I have nothing against those lovely Bic Pencils. ;) )

We feel the need to correct each other, point out spelling and grammar errors, belittle everyone's beliefs but our own and put each other down so that we don't have to look at ourselves.

Isn't this such an interesting facet of the human condition??

Who the hell are we to think we are superior to our fellow human?

We are going through A LOT as an American (and global!) society right now.  Political differences are growing, Marriage is finally equal, Racism has proven itself ever present, Flags are going up and coming down, Clean Water is becoming increasingly sparse, Droughts are affecting all of us, Homelessness has increased more than ever, our Military is getting attacked on our own soil, Shootings are increasing, Animals are getting the short end of the stick, I could go on and on.  Look at how many upsetting things are happening in the world right now, though!

So when someone posts their belief on any of the above listed or stuff I missed putting on the list, we feel the need to tell them how wrong and stupid they are.  Because that is TOTALLY what another person needs to be told on the quest of their day.  We need to be scolded by quasi-strangers/quasi-friends on how our views are wrong.  Right?

Hell NO.

I recently went through my friends list and un-followed over 300 people.  I don't hate any of them.  I also don't intimately know a single one of them.  For MY Newsfeed, I want to see honesty, inspiring, funny and truth-filled-uplifting things.   I also love it when I see peeps posting about their health or something they're going through or for someone they love.  Not because I like seeing other people in pain--I hate it--but because that person just allowed their whole network to send them good vibes/prayers/energy to help them through their hump. I do not deal well with hate-posts of peeps saying things like "Anyone who doesn't agree with me can go f**k themselves because you're stupid if you don't agree with me."  That's a serious statement to make, yeah?

The plain and skinny is, we are not going to change each other's minds when it comes to some of this stuff.  I may be passionate about saving animals and saving water and someone else might eat 17 steaks a day and take four 30-minute showers.  We are clearly two points of view that will never meet in the middle.  Is the answer to argue on Social Media about it?  Should we call each other horrible names?

Why make someone else's day all the more miserable because you don't agree with them?  Screw it!  Scroll on and ignore it.  Or un-follow them. Or engage in a conversation in comments or messages if what "so and so" says gets you flipped and that you want to know more about their point of view.  It's friggin' Social Media, not an arm wrestling challenge. 

I know what I have to say in this lil' Blog Post won't change the overall picture of the world.  Or even my neighborhood in Los Angeles.  But I am changing my own approach to my responses to peeps on Social Media.  Instead of allowing myself to get all heated and upset over what other people are posting as their opinions, I am just going to say screw it and scroll on.  Or un-follow them, if it's a constant thing. 

WE get to choose what we do and don't see out there in the ether, not a one of us is victim to someone else's opinion of us and our beliefs.  WE get to stand tall and rise above attacking other people's pages and comment threads.  WE all have the same choices.






Now go post something funny and make someone's day.  ;)











All the love and light in the world from me to YOU.

Peace

Michelle Tomlinson