I want to start off by saying, even though this article sounds anti-social media, I definitely am not. I love a lot of aspects of social media, like the way it keeps us connected, allows brands and businesses to thrive, and has brought us some iconic memes over the years.
However, despite my respect and admiration for how social media has transformed our world, I can't help but ask — why is it such a strong source of negativity?
There are so many creative and expressive ways to use social media, so why is it that every time I log in I see viral posts blanketed by negativity and hatred?
This negativity mostly comes to light in the comment sections of political posts, viral videos, and clothing ads.
For starters, on political posts, the comment sections are bombarded with people tearing each other up because of their opinions and calling them horrible names while making nasty assumptions because they have a differing opinion. Most of these people would continue to argue, saying they were just trying to have a conversation or (my personal favorite) "educate others." But, I am sorry to say, that is not what is happening. All you are doing is using social media, a resource that could be a gift if utilized properly, and turning it into a haven for your opinions to thrive and your negative attitude to supersede.
Secondly, I have been disgusted by the negative comments on viral videos. From preschoolers dancing on stage at a school performance to a father working three jobs to buy his daughter a prom dress, the negative comments amassed. I saw MULTIPLE grown adults bashing a child for being in the front row of a school performance because she was shy. I also witnessed other grown adults disregarding a father's good deed and replacing it with assumptions that he cannot handle finances. When, all along, these people could have been cheering on bravery and congratulating hard work. Instead, they chose to spread negativity.
The negativity surrounding clothing ads, however, may just be the most infuriating. It is rare you can visit the comment sections of clothing ads without seeing people bash the model's appearance — especially in plus size modeling. I am not here to give an opinion about that; I am just here to call out the negative trolls who have nothing nice to say.
And that brings me to my final point. As I'm sure your Mama taught you — "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." I would bet most of the Internet trolls who spew such hatred in the comment sections of these posts wouldn't say any of it to a person's face, so STOP SAYING IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
I know some of you are probably thinking that if I don't like it, I should just ignore it. My question to you, though, is why can't we just spread love and kindness? Why can't we spread happiness on social media, instead of hatred? Some will tell me to choose my battles, but I'm saying to choose your "H" — happiness or hatred, it's up to you which you are going to exude.
For my final clarification, I am not trying to insinuate people shouldn't express their opinions on social media or be a fake personality to please others; I am simply suggesting people act polite, classy, open-minded, encouraging — all in all, just make sure you would say this to the person (who is probably a stranger) face-to-face before you post something potentially vile online.
It is about time we use social media to build each other up, not bring each other down.
