We had an election in our country. Yes, that's right, an election. It happened. I know you probably haven't heard about it yet. On Tuesday, November 8th half of our nation cheered in celebration of their candidate becoming the President Elect of the United States of America. The other half of the nation felt disappointed, defeated and dejected. Some of them felt abject terror. All of this is completely understandable. When your team wins, you celebrate. When your team loses, you don't. When your way of life is threatened, you feel fear. But, this article is not about politics, not really. This is, instead, about being a competent communicator.
I don't know what it is about social media that makes people feel like they can ignore social decorum and regress to schoolyard antics. That is simply not acceptable. So, instead, this article is about understanding competent communication in regards to social media. There are rules. There are always rules.
Take caution with your posts. The thing about social media, and our country, is that you can say what's on your mind. But, you still want to self-monitor. Do not post things that you will regret. Once it's out there, it's out there. You can delete a post 30 seconds later, but the damage might already be done. Maybe someone shared it or screenshotted it. Now there is a permanent record.
But, also, just as you're able to express your thoughts and ideas, others can do the same. We have no right to tell others how they should feel or that they should not feel. Everyone is different. We deal with things in different ways. Respect that and let others process in whatever way works best for them.
Show consideration.
Respect the privacy of your friends. If they do not want to share things with others, you should not take their words or pictures and share them yourself.
Keep your tone civil. We can disagree, and we do. That's just a fact of life. But, remain civil about it. Persuasion is not about name calling. It is about laying out your idea and supporting it with strong unbiased factual information.
Be mindful of bystanders.They're there. They may disagree with you. But, they're exactly that, bystanders. Attacking a stranger online solves nothing. In fact, it only perpetuates the cycle of hatred. Why get all worked up arguing with a stranger when you can express your thoughts and ideas to people who matter to you?
And, finally, respect others and their need for undivided attention. This is a symptom of your social media addition. Some people crave and need undivided attention. They may post their breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. They may live Tweet their entire live. So what? Let them. The nice thing about social media is that you can unfollow someone or ignore their posts all together. No one is sitting there forcing you to read about someone else's sock folding experience.
Balance mediated and face time. You can't get lost in or absorbed in social media. It's not healthy. We, as humans, NEED actual human relationships. So, foster those too.
Be safe. The internet is a dangerous place. Don't post things that might make you vulnerable. Remember those bystanders? You don't know them. Maybe you have an online flame war with the wrong person and bad things happen. You don't know. I don't know. We have to anticipate things that could go wrong. We have to avoid them. It is our responsibility.
Ultimately, it is up to each individual to choose how to behave online. We have that freedom. But, just because we have it, doesn't mean we should abuse it. Instead, we should act like respectful human beings. Choose the most appropriate behavior for any given situation. The internet even gives you the ability to stop and think through your idea before responding. Employ empathy and perspective-taking. Look at things from the other side. How do you feel when chided? Attacked? Do you want to be responsible for making someone else feel that way? I don't.
