An opinion…

I was thinking back to the “good old days” before we had the internet and social media and realized that back then, no one really cared about your political, religious, or social views. You could put any candidates sign in your yard and nothing would happen. You could wear any hat you wanted to and no one would have a complete meltdown. It was a far more civil time; and I don’t know if that’s because we had more decorum back then, or maybe we lived our lives in the presence of others, face to face.

Personally, I think it’s the latter. When life is lived face to face, and shoulder to shoulder with other human beings there is a silent, social-pressure involved that helps regulate interactions. You wouldn’t walk up to the six and a half-foot tall biker and tell him that his bike sucked. He would flatten you right there with one hand. Or, he would just ignore you because to him, you’re nobody. This was life.

Enter the internet, and with it, Social Media. Now, we have a forum that puts layers upon layers of technology between you and other people. At its core, it dehumanizes us. We no longer have faces, just text, tweets, snaps, updates, etc. It’s all 2-dimensional digital media. We don’t see someone grimace when we hurt them. Because of this, is much easier to see a post you disagree with, and just let the writer have it. Then, you giggle, and go about your way, looking for the next post to comment on. As the frequency of this type of response picks up steam, it becomes more common and before you know it, all we have is a bunch of people taking verbal “dumps” on one another. Any productivity or goodness the platform could’ve brought us is gone.

This behavior then creates a dichotomy in the user that at the foundation, thinks, everyone who doesn’t believe like me is my enemy. They declare Jihad on the infidels and go to work with their keyboards. We’ve seen this behavior cascade into what we now know as Cancel-Culture. If you say something that the keyboard-warriors deem to be out of line or against the narrative, you’re going to lose your job, or platform. Isn’t it just incredible? What can we do?

For me, I found that the best solution is to stay off the internet as much as possible and live in the social-network called, Reality. It sounds crazy, no doubt, but, believe me, it’s better. Get out there and interact with real people…let social media have the trolls and the arguments. If you’re not ready to live a life free from an internet codependency, then be the change, and stop commenting and debating every point. In kindness, just walk past the posts you disagree with.