We live in an era where knowledge is readily available at our fingertips. We can find out anything, any time, anywhere. Advertised correctly, this sounds like a dream. Knowledge is power and we have all of it in the palm of our hands. At the same time, great power comes with great responsibility.
I have come to notice that we humans, as a species, love to be open - quite a few of us anyway. We tweet, post, "like" everything we want. We tell the world our secrets, our shouts into the void, sometimes seeking an answer or compassion. Sometimes it can be sheerly for attention, for 300 "likes" on a picture that meant nothing to those 300 people and meant everything to you. We hear our phones buzz with a Snapchat or a text and feel an overwhelming urge to check our phone every time it goes off. Those of us with social media share whatever we like and feel safe. We're not. In this story, I'm not talking about the government either. We're not safe from each other.
Public shaming on Twitter and Instagram has been an endless event for years and will continue to be one for many more to come. We wish to have a voice to use against those who impede on our rights and valuable freedom, yet we have now developed a terrible habit of crucifying someone the minute they make a mistake. We don't choose to see all perspectives but instead, we see what we want to see and say what we want to say... even if it's not true.
To be completely honest, I am afraid to give an example and that in itself is how terrifying public online shaming has become. It's cyberbullying without even knowing the bully. You have no way to explain yourself, your perspective, nor your actions. What's worse with online shaming is that it will all pile up in one area, right before your eyes. It'll feel like baggage that just keeps getting heavier and heavier. Many who have been victims to the horrors of this world have suffered forever from tweets that might have taken thirty seconds to type up a piece.
I am so over this trend of seeing that someone did something wrong and feeling the need to play hero as we type up a vile sentence to a paragraph. That is not compassion, but disdain and hatred. It is apathetic and it is wrong. We are not supposed to be the ones condemning and punishing our fellow humans. Instead, we need to try and understand each other when we make a mistake. We need to learn, forgive, and grow.
When you see someone bashing someone on the internet, don't "like", upvote, share, post, or retweet it. There are other ways to cope if something upsets you online. Even if someone has made a terrible decision, don't bully. Instead, report them, message them politely, or take a break from the site or app you're using. Remember that everyone doesn't see life in the exact same way as you do and that's okay! That's what makes all of us beautiful.
