A little tidbit about myself, I hate social media.
If it wasn’t for being a journalist, I likely would’ve already deleted my accounts and lived a quiet life.
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Over the last week, Facebook has been abuzz with rumours and gossip. There have, however, also been a lot of good discussions.
I have a few lukewarm takes on the current state of our online connectivity.
For one, the new age of anonymous posts has widely increased the vitriol you see online today. People feel empowered because only the admins of the pages can see who they are. Two, this one might even be a warm take, the court of public opinion is stronger than ever thanks to social media.
As a society, and since the introduction of mainstream media or on-demand news, people are typically judged before legal proceedings are ever allowed to take place. Am I saying someone’s innocent or guilty? That isn’t my place to decide. I’m not a judge or jury.
At the same time, without people raising their voices on issues and drawing attention to it, it may never come to light. You can likely see how difficult the balancing act is to maintain.
On one end, without it, things would likely never come out, but with it, society’s collective mental health is likely being irreparably damaged.
I, of course, have no source for this claim. This is an opinion and based on my own personal experiences. My mental health is much worse when I surf social media.
Without social media, journalists have less access to interviews and stories, I wouldn’t be able to connect with my friends back in Ontario and I wouldn’t be able to view cat videos and photos.
I’m not here to get up on my high horse and tell you to think before you post. People usually don’t think before they do anything. It’s not human nature. What I am hoping to bring to the table is a different perspective.
If you were to say something anonymously, or even with your name attached, you could consider how it could affect someone and their well-being. Could it affect an ongoing investigation or legal proceeding?
For me, empathy and compassion is really important. Everyone’s out there navigating life differently and it’s unfair to use your voice to make it worse for them.
That’s all I got this week. Next week, I’ll be back to talking about history and some of the stuff I’ve been researching, but I felt like I needed to get this off my chest.
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