When Social Media Is Like A Split Personality

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Abstract

orrect people in the current political climate. I hate to think that avoiding social media because of the second story would make me miss stories like the first one.</p><h2 id="fcd0">Having connections during isolation is mentally important/Bullying is damaging.</h2><p id="70ef">I make my living counseling people. And right now, a lot of people are hurting. Many of them don’t even understand why. The fact is, this is a very traumatic time for all of us. The ability to connect with friends and relatives on social media, in a supportive way, is a great lifeline for someone with anxiety, depression, and/or loneliness. On the other hand, bullying is a real issue. I hear about it from my clients, who are high school students. And today, I read a story about a blogger who had someone steal their photo and then proceed to make negative comments on other people’s stories. The blogger was getting hate mail as a result. Connecting is good; bullying is not.</p><h2 id="86dd">There are many factual references to back up statements/There is SO much information out there that you can find an article to back up any point of view.</h2><p id="5885">For a while, I had the potentially annoying habit of finding factual references to ‘share’ with people who posted incorrect information. I realize now that this was probably perceived as snooty. Sadly, I have concluded that the people who post incorrect information really don’t want to be corrected. If they are asked for a supporting reference, they will always find it, even if the source is suspect (such as… www. thiswebsitesupportsmyopinon.com). If you point out that their source only exists to support opinions like theirs, they point out that you cannot t

Options

rust ANY source, and mainstream media is FAKE NEWS. I would love to be inside their head to determine how they can reconcile the fact that the conspiracies they think exist are logistically impossible. Does anyone believe that all countries and news organizations in the world could agree on a conspiracy?</p><h2 id="d635">I love the feeling of community/I hate when different opinions divide us.</h2><p id="590d">Social media allows us to stay in touch with people that we might drift away from. I hadn’t heard from many high school classmates until social media became popular nearly 20 years after high school. Now I regularly see what many of them are up to. My family was pretty close before social media, but I am now connected with some on the east and west coast that I haven’t seen in 30 or more years. On the other hand, social media tends to highlight differences of opinion, and the fallout can hurt real-life relationships.</p><h2 id="2ec6">Good news versus high drama!</h2><p id="2fa9">I enjoy hearing about good news on social media. Someone is having a baby! What a cute engagement story! Her wedding dress is so pretty! I do not like cryptic posts. You know the one, they give you just enough information to worry that something major is going on. Or they are a dig at an unnamed person. Why is it necessary to bring so much drama to social media? Some of them are almost embarrassing to read.</p><p id="ddf2">I hope that my friends' list will make it through the election and celebrate when a vaccine is developed. I have friends on social media for a reason, and I really don’t want to delete anyone (or be deleted). Until then, I will only visit for short periods of time.</p></article></body>

When Social Media Is Like A Split Personality

If it’s messing with your mind, it’s time to take a break!

Social media has been a blessing and a curse for me. When my husband Patrick died, I began a love affair with social media. I received so many positive messages, and I was able to connect with hundreds of people. I connected with support groups, and it was a great way to know who was still awake if I needed to talk late at night.

Lately, I tend to get angry when I scroll through my news feed. There are many reasons for this, but they all boil down to politics and religion. And we all seem to have an attitude that says: you’re either with me or you’re a terrible person. I know I am just as guilty as the people who make me angry. Personally, I have begun limiting my time on social media and focusing my time on writing or reading the stories of other writers. I thought it would be interesting to compile a list of good vs. bad on social media.

I love positive stories/I hate angry political rants.

A year or two ago, an acquaintance posted a story about finding a biological relative she didn’t know existed. The story was heartwarming and left me feeling good. Yesterday a relative posted a story that I knew was false information. Other friends and relatives agreed with it. I said nothing because it is almost pointless to correct people in the current political climate. I hate to think that avoiding social media because of the second story would make me miss stories like the first one.

Having connections during isolation is mentally important/Bullying is damaging.

I make my living counseling people. And right now, a lot of people are hurting. Many of them don’t even understand why. The fact is, this is a very traumatic time for all of us. The ability to connect with friends and relatives on social media, in a supportive way, is a great lifeline for someone with anxiety, depression, and/or loneliness. On the other hand, bullying is a real issue. I hear about it from my clients, who are high school students. And today, I read a story about a blogger who had someone steal their photo and then proceed to make negative comments on other people’s stories. The blogger was getting hate mail as a result. Connecting is good; bullying is not.

There are many factual references to back up statements/There is SO much information out there that you can find an article to back up any point of view.

For a while, I had the potentially annoying habit of finding factual references to ‘share’ with people who posted incorrect information. I realize now that this was probably perceived as snooty. Sadly, I have concluded that the people who post incorrect information really don’t want to be corrected. If they are asked for a supporting reference, they will always find it, even if the source is suspect (such as… www. thiswebsitesupportsmyopinon.com). If you point out that their source only exists to support opinions like theirs, they point out that you cannot trust ANY source, and mainstream media is FAKE NEWS. I would love to be inside their head to determine how they can reconcile the fact that the conspiracies they think exist are logistically impossible. Does anyone believe that all countries and news organizations in the world could agree on a conspiracy?

I love the feeling of community/I hate when different opinions divide us.

Social media allows us to stay in touch with people that we might drift away from. I hadn’t heard from many high school classmates until social media became popular nearly 20 years after high school. Now I regularly see what many of them are up to. My family was pretty close before social media, but I am now connected with some on the east and west coast that I haven’t seen in 30 or more years. On the other hand, social media tends to highlight differences of opinion, and the fallout can hurt real-life relationships.

Good news versus high drama!

I enjoy hearing about good news on social media. Someone is having a baby! What a cute engagement story! Her wedding dress is so pretty! I do not like cryptic posts. You know the one, they give you just enough information to worry that something major is going on. Or they are a dig at an unnamed person. Why is it necessary to bring so much drama to social media? Some of them are almost embarrassing to read.

I hope that my friends' list will make it through the election and celebrate when a vaccine is developed. I have friends on social media for a reason, and I really don’t want to delete anyone (or be deleted). Until then, I will only visit for short periods of time.