In our society, social media is the biggest medium to communicate and keep in touch with our friends and family. Whether your favorite platform is Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, the general “rules of conduct” are all the same. Facebook is where we post family photos so the distant relatives can see, Twitter is where we make short, witty jokes so that we can get a laugh, and Instagram is where we try and look our best and post at an optimal time in order to earn as many "likes" as possible. Social media is all a game, really. You try and create this persona for yourself so that others will perceive you in a certain way -- which makes it very easy for others to judge you unfairly. “She definitely edits her photos.” “He made up that story for 'likes.'” “No one cares about your new puppy.” It is easy to hide behind a screen and silently harass your former classmates and friends or even comment on these things in order to try and publicly embarrass someone. It doesn’t take much to type up a nasty remark and hit "send." Let’s face it. Everyone edits photos, a lot of people try and be funny, and everyone posts things that not everyone else is going to find interesting. People on the internet need to calm down. If you are reading this (on the Internet), you need to calm down. Take a joke. Look at a photo and don’t jump to judging someone if it appears edited. Appreciate someone who is posting about their family.

Allow me to break it down for you.

Is it going to change anything about your life if a girl retouches her face in a picture? Sure, she might end up on that website that has all the hottest college girls on it, but is that really what we should be using to validate her? Some guys in their bedrooms judge women that they don’t know based on their looks and choose who they think is worthy to appear on their website. Who cares? I would rather leave college with a degree than leave saying I got to be featured on some irrelevant website one time or was in the photo some teenage boys drooled over up until the next ‘it-girl’ appeared. Fifteen minutes of fame for being hot isn’t something to get upset over. Let the girls edit their photos. Let the boys edit their photos. Let your mom put a filter on her photos. It doesn’t affect you.

Next, take a deep breath and stop taking things so seriously.

Society is so sensitive when it comes to what is right and what is wrong. Everyone has opinions on gay marriage, politics, Caitlyn Jenner, and whatever other hot topics are being talked about. It doesn’t matter if someone wants to publicly state their views. It doesn’t matter if you agree or disagree with that person. Read it (or don’t read it) and move on. What is the use in fighting with someone via a Facebook status or starting a Twitter war? It gets you nowhere. The type of people that publicly post their views on social media are also the type of people who are going to be willing to defend their side of an argument until they are blue in the face. You will get nowhere. You will be frustrated, and the person who originally posted will still feel like their opinion is right. Nothing will have changed.

Don’t take things on the internet so personally.

It’s a fact that people draw inspiration from their everyday lives. Sure, someone could form a tweet based off of another person’s post because it sparked an idea. You might see someone you know poking fun at a certain thing that you might do. It isn’t a personal attack. You shouldn’t have to feel guilty for how you live your life because of a mean Tweet you once read. Of course, there are always going to be those immature people that subtweet you or make an obvious Facebook post directed at you, but again, who cares? It is sad that someone has to gain validation by writing something nasty about someone else without naming them, just to get supporters who don’t even know what they are supporting.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Hey, Emilie. Don’t you sit behind a computer and write things about people all the time? Doesn’t this make you a hypocrite?” Fair question. The thing about being a writer is that you can’t help but use people you know as a muse. I do it all the time. People will write what they know and what they are familiar with. I endorse myself all the time because I don’t think I have anything to hide (follow me on Twitter/Instagram: @emilieharris00). I use social media for the same reasons everyone else does. I make jokes that sometimes involve other people, but I do not do it in a malicious manner; I do it solely to get a laugh. As much as I tell people to add me on social media, I’m also quick to tell people that if they don’t like what they see, they can delete me. I don't want to hear negative comments or deal with the backlash from the few people who don't find me funny. I’m not looking to hurt anyone’s feelings or be the immature person I mentioned before, who casually rants about someone without actually talking to the person they're referencing. Rule of thumb: If you feel the need to talk about someone, take it up with them face to face first -- don’t use the Internet and don’t be rude to them in a comment somewhere.

Back to my point. People that use the Internet need to remember what the purpose of social networking is supposed to be: to bring people together. It wasn’t meant to be a haven for cyber-bullies and drama. It wasn’t created to call people out so that others could laugh at them. Words can hurt. You can pretend that they don’t all you want, but they do. Don’t be a bully -- and if you’re being bullied, don’t stoop to their level. You can always do what I did and become a writer. Then people have to consider your opinions, because they’re published!