I think we can all agree that these days, especially on social media things are divisive. We all have friends, who we love but may not see eye to eye with, posting things we feel strongly about.
The thing is, conversations on social media posts completely remove the personal aspect and we forget to respect the PERSON we are talking AT. I say AT because let’s be honest, in a heated social media debate we are rarely talking WITH someone, we are talking AT them. We rarely have any interest in hearing their viewpoint, we’ve already decided they are wrong, crazy, misguided etc.
Social media isn’t all bad, it gives us a chance to spew, to share moments, to ask, to learn, to connect. What I think we need to remember is that we should treat our friends (yes even on social media) as we would want them to treat us. If I don’t want people arguing with my posts, I shouldnt argue on theirs. If I don’t want snide comments, I shouldn’t give them. I am guilty of this, so I’m not preaching… I’m sharing because I learned a lesson. I commented when I knew it wasn’t wanted, and I knew I wouldn’t want the same done to me. And it got a little heated (like low key heated, but heated) and I realized I was in the wrong. So, I reached out via a private message and I apologized, and I received in return, grace, and we moved on. Talking one on one to a person can really be whats needed. There is no POST anymore…now its a PERSON and if you are connected on social media, there should be a reason…talking one on one just might remind you of it.