The Wrath of Social Media
I feel like there’s a wave of negativity and conservatism that has swept across social media in recent times. Or maybe this is the extent of negativity and conservative behaviour that has always been around and it’s just being highlighted in recent times thanks to social media. There is just so much negativity no matter where you turn. I watched a trailer for a new film the other day and thought, “Hey! Let’s see what people are saying” and went to the comments section. “THIS MOVIE IS GOING TO FLOP”, “THEY SHOULD HAVE STUCK TO THE ORIGINAL”, “NOBODY ASKED FOR AN ALL FEMALE MOVIE”. Yikes. Let me open up Instagram then. “WHY DOES SHE ONLY USE HIGH-END PRODUCTS WHY CAN’T SHE USE DRUGSTORE PRODUCTS?”. “WHY ISN’T SHE RATIONALISING HER HUSBAND’S ERRATIC BEHAVIOUR?”. Oookay. I’m going to Facebook. ‘WHY DOES EVERYONE CARE ABOUT (insert name of actor/actress) ANYWAY? HE/SHE IS SO OVERRATED AND HAS NO TALENT WHATSOEVER ERMYGUD”. You know what? I give up.
It’s difficult for me to understand where all of this is coming from. It truly is. Social media is something that’s relatively new, and even us millennials and iGENS occasionally falter in our efforts to keep up (whether we want to admit it or not). These days, there are so many ways you can connect, so many ways you can engage with the world around you, and ultimately, so many ways you can express yourself. And this, is where the problem sort of begins. You see, once upon a time, social media was a place where you can connect with people and talk about your innermost thoughts with the most random of people on the Internet. But based on recent patterns, that all seems so mythical that you go “Was social media ever a nice place?”. I would say yes, there definitely was negativity and conservatism in the past, but it was peppered around. And you could talk to some of them about it. Now, however, negative comments have multiplied faster than the human population. What happened?
Individualism is big now. Sure, in the collectivist-individualist dichotomy, countries differ, but globally, we are all shifting towards individualism. It’s all about being individual, authentic, being yourself, and expressing yourself. And somewhere from “Hey, this is my opinion, you can take it or leave it”, we are now at “THIS IS MY OPINION, AGREE OR DIE”. Individualism, starting out as independence and as a form of self-love, has transpired into narcissism and selfish behaviour. It’s bit scary, actually. If you ask me, this narcissism is the reason for the wrath of social media. This is why even the possibility of appreciating views opposing that of ours from a mature point of view has sadly, diminished.
The thing is, there’s nothing wrong with disagreeing at all – it’s only human to do so. But here’s what seems to be rare – respectfully disagreeing with someone. It is absolutely possible to disagree with someone and still respect them. There is a lot of emphasis on being nice to everyone we meet, even our #haters, because everyone has their own journey. But the truth is, what we need, and what we lack, is actually respect. If you don’t like the trailer for a movie you watched, be polite with your comment on why you think so. Be respectful of the fans or the franchise, and the fact that it could mean something to someone. If someone you follow only discusses high-end beauty products and that’s bothering you because you don’t agree with it from a fiscal point of view, take the step to follow people who do discuss drugstore products. It’s not said person’s responsibility to showcase every single beauty product in existence. If you want to request someone to discuss something, do it from an un-presumptuous tone. Be respectful of the fact that other people could still want to hear about the high-end products and be respectful of the person who posted it, who’s probably making her living off it. If you see something about an actor/actress you think is overrated, don’t start dragging his/her character and portray them as sleazy. If anything, your comments are bringing them more attention than what you think they deserve. Be respectful of the fact that said actor/actress could mean something to their fan base.
I’m talking about this because words matter. Apparently Mother Teresa was once asked to speak at an anti-war rally. She refused, saying she would, instead, speak at a pro-peace rally if asked. Do you see the difference? Now, these are not binary terms for the same concept, nor are they perfect opposites of each other. It looks like they are headed in the same direction but there is a subtle difference in approach. One triggers thoughts of violence in your head, and gives you an aggressive stance. And as we all know, once aggression takes over, most of us lose the ability to think clearly, and fail to be heard. The other is more harmonious and positive, which will keep you collected and compassionate with your stance. I.e., the building blocks of respect. Similarly, expressing negativity will cause you to eventually become the embodiment of negativity while expressing positivity will, obviously, make you more positive. So, the next time you disagree with something, take the time and effort to make sure your comments are positive, productive and respectful. When you do see something you like, take the time to leave a comment because honestly, a little bit more love and positivity wouldn’t hurt any of us (If trolls want to come for you, let them. You don’t have time to entertain them anyway). As famous YouTuber Lilly Singh says, “Promote what you love, don’t bash what you hate”. Even with the 3 million negative comments that revolve around us, I get excited every time I see even just one positive comment. And I have faith that social media, can be a productive and positive space. As long as we treat each other with respect.
What do you think? In keeping with the spirit of the article, please do leave a comment below on that! Have a happy weekend and I’ll see you Monday!
Subscribe to my monthly newsletter, "Thendral's Telegraph" here!*
