I’ve recently gone through some tough family situations, which are too raw to delve into. However, even with this situation being just the beginning of a long and hard struggle, I have already learned a lesson or two. Within minutes of the news article being published in just one of the papers from a nearby town, more than half of the people from my hometown- which consists of a whopping 780 people- had not only heard about the story but shared it, along with their many uncensored opinions to not only me and our town of 780 people but to their hundreds of friends who then continued to do the same.

You know where I’m going with this, it’s a domino effect of negativity. When people share articles such as that one, they don’t think of the effect it will have on other people nor do they consider that the article could not include the story in its entirety. This leads them to believe something that isn’t the whole truth. Many journalists, especially for newspapers, write stories in such a way that it will compel people to talk and share the story, regardless of the impact a few missing words could have on the person or people associated with that article.

Fast-forward to two hours after the article had been posted. Over 1,000 different people shared or commented on the topic, publicly, without full context. At this time I had been consistently stalking the Internet including all newspaper and television channels near my hometown as well as my Facebook newsfeed and the profiles of those mentioned in the article. I became obsessed, mad, numb, conflicted and hurt. Who really knew how awful other humans could be especially when protected behind a screen? I tried to fight back on some posts and comments of people who I had grown up with my whole life, all while getting nowhere trying to reason with them. No one seems to care what you have to say when they think they have gossip to tell. After making myself look and feel foolish for fighting for something that I don’t even know how to feel about, I came across a threat to my family on the page of someone who I had known for quite some time.

I realized that it wasn’t worth it. Why was I so compelled to know what everyone had to say that I went searching for the information? I had gotten so caught up in the situation and trying to find a way to give myself control that I didn’t even realize that I was actually giving all of these other people, some who I didn’t even know, the power to control how I felt about the situation. With that, I deleted Facebook off of my phone and deactivated my account. I, of course, made sure it wasn’t permanent, just in case I wanted it again.

That’s the problem with social media. It has sucked us all in and even if we try to pull back, it sucks us right back in again. If you’re anything like me, you can find so many excuses to use social media. We use it to stay connected to our old friends, our current friends from other cities, to stay current on things happening in our communities or on subjects that we resonate strongly with. It’s used in schools, work, fraternities, sororities, sports groups, church groups and more. In just a few short years, social media has taken over our lives. When do we say enough is enough? How much information needs to be shared with the public- with those we don’t even know? Social media has taken the human out of humanity. Many of us are like little robots perfectly tuned to check our phones and social media accounts regularly, to react in a way that draws attention, whether positive or negative, and to feel that we are missing something if we are not doing these things. Since removing Facebook only a few hours ago, I have opened my web browser twice to attempt to check Facebook and looked at my phone screen numerous times to see if I had a notification. Yet I’ve also been benefited too, my resting heart rate went from well over 100 to 87 (thanks Samsung Health), which are both still way higher than normal because of this stress that has been caused. My headache is also gone, I have accomplished some of my homework, as well as writing my first article, and I am happier and remembered to eat dinner. All of which could not have been truthfully said a few hours ago.

I do not know how long my Facebook break will last, nor do I know how this story will continue to unfold. I do know that I will think twice before sharing an article and will definitely be more aware of my social media usage as a whole. While I can’t abolish social media, I can control how I use it and so can you.