Social media is a wonderful place where people like me, you and prominent figures can connect, talk, and share ideas. I, personally, love following my favorite celebrities (Hi Selena Gomez and Derek Hough!) and seeing what they are up to in their lives. Most people nowadays usually start their day by checking their Facebooks, Twitters, and all of that. It is such a regular part of our lives now, that I am not sure we even recognize the impact it has on both others and ourselves.
We check in on our social media platforms so often that sometimes, we even go on without realizing. During this election season, however, I was not really a fan of going on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram because I knew (and dreaded) seeing what would be on my feed. While I recognize we all have free speech, and one of the beauties of social media is to share opinions, posts began to sound harsh and even mean. Supporters of both political parties alike took to social media to share their thoughts and ideas. The number of hateful comments disgusted me, and I am sure many others. It is unreasonable to think that the entire nation will always agree, but it should not be so crazy to think that we can be mature even when we disagree.
It is important to recognize the influence that social media has. Many of us look up to celebrities and are swayed by what they do and say. It is great that prominent figures use their platforms for causes such as standing up to bullying and raising awareness for other foundations; could their impact be so large that it diminishes their followers’ power to think for themselves?
We are taught as kids not to bully. We are also taught that fighting fire with fire does not work and we should always aim to be the bigger person. To all of the celebrities who were posting negative and in some cases insulting ideas, think about what you are teaching your fans. It seems hypocritical to be against bullying, yet still post hurtful messages when you disagree with someone. As much as I love following celebrities (Hi Taylor Swift!), it is important to be able to have our own opinions. We are the future of this country, so do not just agree with someone you look up to- research and come to your own conclusion.
Our country does not just consist of the President. It is all of us. It is we the people that make up the United States of America. We have the choice to scroll through social media and accept what we see, or educate ourselves and draw our own conclusions. If after you do your research, form your own opinion, and still disagree with people, at least you thought for yourself and did not just rely on what you saw on social media. It is time to unite and work together, using everyone’s opinion, for a better nation.
