In the year 2012, I looked to Facebook for one of two things: cute pictures of my cousin, and funny cat videos. I looked to Twitter to stay updated with my favorite celebrities and to find funny little 140 character anecdotes. Instagram was where I found out what my friends were doing when they weren't hanging out with me. Some things still haven't changed— I often find myself lost in a sea of silly videos and heartwarming posts about "How Much I Love My Mom." However, with the expansion of social media as something which extends beyond the social and into the political and the cultural, the worlds of Facebook and Twitter have become a slurry of political opinions, and it comes with its pros and cons.

It's awesome to see political participation span across so many different platforms and among so many different people. It is generally a positive thing to see people participating in political discourse because it shows just how many people are following the politics of the US and globally. The use of social media has helped in guiding people to better understand what's going on around them, in essence. The issue of "fake news" gets in the way of healthy communication for some of Facebook's less skeptical users, and so while that is a con, it's all a part of building the culture and getting people to pay attention to one another.

If everyone knew the consequences of Facebook sharing and news, such issues wouldn't be issues at all. But, in 'Real News,' the whole issue of 'Fake News' is nothing unordinary, and there have been cases of fake "viral" information sharing dating back to the late 19th century. History is constantly repeating itself; we're just more acutely aware of what happens in present terms.

Often it can feel like an attack on viral politics, or a discussion of it (this isn't an attack, merely an analysis of), which can sway far right or far left: this should not be the case. One of my greatest issues with viral politics is the idea that it belongs to one party or one group, that information sharing is most prevalent among conservatives and 'Fake News' is rooted in Donald Trump- such is not the case. Viral politics hold no binary, and one of the most important tools that can be used in order to seek proper information and to harness all the best qualities of viral politics is to look beyond the person, or the opinion, and look directly to the source.

Zoom out, look at who posted it, and either let them know "Hey buddy, this is a crock of bologna and you're perpetuating a major issue," or "Hey buddy, I see what this says but let's talk about it like so..." Part of taking on the politics of social media is understanding that all political standings are rooted in opinion and derived from an understanding of fact. So, if you don't have actual facts, your understanding and opinions are completely skewed.

As someone who sits politely on the left side of the spectrum, I often find that something I wish would die in 2017 was liberal internet politics because so often power is wielded by the wrong people, and, again, it gives others the right to attack. Nothing hurts me more than seeing someone who didn't go out and vote post about the president doing a bad job, except perhaps a 14-year-old girl with a "NOT MY PRESIDENT" pin on her backpack— surely neither knows what they're talking about.

If everyone got educated and used the stream of information that the internet provides properly, perhaps there would be less discourse of "liberal snowflakes" and "backwoods conservatives" and more discussion of who and why and honest opinions rooted in personal experiences. It's amazing that we can all share in the political experience, but it's disheartening to see what becomes of this power and these tools provided.