And So I Write ---BE THE LIGHT...

 ...Shedding light on the dark side of social media and technology

On a personal note I have to admit that there is still a lot of Pollyanna in me. I want to believe everything I see and hear. I trust people. I always expect the good in people to come through. I always look for the good in people.

And so I write...

Sometimes in the darkest hour someone just needs to turn on the light.

BE THE LIGHT!

We have, for some time, been living in what I call a microwave society. If something takes more than a minute in the microwave people lose patience. (By the way I believe that has much to do with the decline of our overall health--giving up quality of food for convenience). 

By the same token the advancement of technology and social media has made communication and news around the globe instant.  We want and expect everything NOW! No need to add water. 

"News" or posts, tweets etc. are found on many social media sites (these are just a few)

Social Media has gone so wrong. 

We are globally connected but often we don't speak to our next-door neighbor, 

(sometimes even our family), 

or the person sitting next to us.

We are dependent on, and attached, to our devices. I drive and see people crossing the street without even glancing up from their phones. Of course we all know of horrific accidents caused by texting while driving. No one thinks it can happen to them.

Instead of picking up the phone to call, we send a text. To save time and reach more people at once we may post on a (one of the above) social media site. The written word does not contain the same feeling as if spoken. Without facial expressions and tonal inflections it does not always portray the intended emotion. The meaning can often be misconstrued. I experienced this first hand when something I posted coming from sincerity and kindness was twisted and met with an unfavorable reaction.

Along with "instant" news comes instant editing, filtering (or unfiltered) and instant reaction to sometime half-truths. Images are altered. People say what they want to say, see what they want to see, believe what they want to believe and then spread this virus around. Violent acts can be shown by anyone with a hand-held device and shared online. Videos are sometimes posted after they have been edited so they do not show the whole truth. Often police officers are doing their jobs and putting their own lives in danger for our safety while a one-sided piece of the story is shared to make police officers look like the villain.

Videos immediately go viral of criminals or thugs in hurtful, unlawful and violent acts. This provides them with their 15 seconds of fame. In turn this encourages "copy-cat crimes" or gives crazed people ideas for their own claim to fame. Someone who may feel like a nobody can instantly feel like a somebody. Like they say even bad publicity is successful publicity.

Social media has become a breeding ground for cyber-bullying of all levels and a black hole where all things good can get lost and replaced by negativity.

I feel very strongly about this issue. For a very brief time I considered posting a video monologue and hoping it would spread to viral proportions to stamp out negativity. But that would be adding to the negative, now wouldn't it?

Sadly, we are living in a time when anyone can share their opinion with virtually anyone in the world. There are anonymous posts, comments on sites. Anyone feels free to voice their opinion and say things that they wouldn't dare say to a stranger in person. (or... would they?-- Is our society really headed THAT direction?)

How can we live HAPPILY in a world overflowing with negative social media?

Negative + Negative = MORE Negative!!

In an innocent scroll through news feeds not only can you be bombarded with ads of all kinds, links to porn sites and "phishing", you are constantly exposed to "trending" news. This is where you find rumors about "celebrities" (I use that term very loosely)--details of break-ups, divorces, the latest affairs and unwed pregnancies. 

IS IT OUR BUSINESS? 

DO WE CARE?

        ...SHOULD WE?

Through social media Hollywood celebrities and famous sports figures are allowed to role model negative behavior. If it is seen over and over again we can become desensitized and it can begin to feel normal. The young generation, who often have both parents working or are being raised in single-parent homes sometimes have very little role-modeling at home. They begin to idolize the celebrities they see often in the news and model their behavior by what they see.

In a recent news feed I came across  "The 15 Ugliest Celebrities" REALLY? Who is the judge? Why would that be written? And WHO reads that? Is this what we all need to hear?

Anyone with an opinion can share with the world (ugh!)

I recently saw an apalling television headline news story of a 12-year-old girl who committed suicide and chose to record it all on social media! (Could this be any more disturbing?!) What a horrific memory that leaves for her loved ones. Does this also give other young people ideas? Very sadly, of course it does.

So the dark side of social media brings us unnecessary drama, fear, nasty opinions, divisiveness, hatred. It can promote negativity and create monsters.

I am sometimes envious of my husband, one of the smartest and kindest people I know who only uses the internet for education and has no interest at all in social media.
This is where we are very different. It would take major discipline for me to ignore social media. I have, for the most part enjoyed my interactions on social media. 
I look forward to staying connected with friends and have reconnected with friends from my past. Friends who have stayed in touch through Facebook know that I post Monday's Medicine (something to make you laugh), Wednesday's Words of Wisdom (something inspirational, or sometimes tongue-in-cheek), and Facebook Friday Fun with Words (usually a pun to make you smile) I try to use it as a platform to add to their day in a positive way. Nobody really cares if I have a hangnail, how much my back aches, or what I had for lunch. It will not make their day better, or mine, if I put that out there.

And so I write:

And so (again) I write...

How can we live HAPPILY in a world overflowing with negative social media?

I think is is time to ask ourselves, are we adding to the negativity or fighting against it? When something strikes a chord with us do we feel we have to add our two cents, or can we, like the song says, Let it GO?
What is really worth sharing?

BE THE LIGHT!

Can you join with me and think before you post? Ask yourself, "Will this be something that can improve someone's day, someone's outlook, or in some way, large or small, change their life for the better?" Can we make our social media a whine-free zone and focus on healing instead of hurting? Focus only on the positive? Do you think it's time? I sure do. Please join me.

We can do our best to choose

 (and share) 

HEALTH AND HAPPINESS

(I invite your comments)

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#choosehappiness#bepositive#nomorenegative