Why You Shouldn't Be Afraid To Voice Your Opinion On Social Media

I recently stumbled across a poem written by Rupi Kaur that stuck out because of it's relevance in this age of social media. The first line hit me deep:

"you tell me to quiet down cause my opinions make me less beautiful"

(Kaur, Milk and Honey, 2014)

Why do our opinions make us less beautiful? Why is it that when we try and speak what we think, we're silenced? With all of the social media outlets available at our fingertips, we are missing countless opportunities to voice our opinions and leave a mark.

I won't lie, the possible repercussions of speaking what I feel on the inside frightens me. I consider myself a people pleaser, and the last thing I want to see is people get angry over my personal opinions. Everyday I see multiple people hash it out on the controversial topic in the news, normally resulting in blocking/unfriending/unfollowing of each other. The longer I thought about it, I realized that it's okay to have people disagree. It's okay to watch people get angry when their own opinions are challenged. The only reason you know you've tested their beliefs is when they do the same thing: voice their opinion.

In the midst of sharing videos of puppies doing precious but meaningless activities, social media discussions have become even more important to read/participate in because for many, Twitter and Facebook are their news outlet. I'm not saying everything shared on Facebook is true by any means, but I think there are many credible posts on any social media that are definitely worth the time to read and potentially comment on. Forewarning: people may or may not disagree with you, but who cares?! Healthy discussion is always beneficial.

So share your thoughts, opinions, what you had for dinner, or if you think Ariana Grande looks like a 12-year-old. Who cares if you're opinion is right or wrong? It's YOUR opinion. I challenge, not only you, but myself as well to be courageous enough to speak out on what we feel is right. Your opinion is far more valuable than any puppy on Facebook.

(Poem credit to the AMAZING Rupi Kaur.)