It's a rough world in the social media realm; here's what we can do to help.
1. Cancel Culture Needs To Go
Seriously, the driving force behind the most compelling narratives centers around change. People change. Beliefs change. By "canceling" people, we remove any chance of redemption. Unforgiveness, jealousy, and hatred eat away at the human heart like acid. Remember to leave room for grace, mercy, and kindness. Disagreeing is not the same as disowning.
2. Think For Yourself
This is pretty self-explanatory. Social media lumps our friends, family, advertisers, politicians, celebrities, and many more into one. When too many voices are speaking over each other, nothing is understood. Remember to gather your information from a variety of sources because everyone and everything is biased.
*Typically, people aren't looking to attack you with their posts (there are obvious exceptions like bullying, harassment, etc), but usually, people just want to express their opinions. It's okay to disagree, but sometimes it's better to keep the peace. Consider what you truly want to accomplish before you just launch into a rant.
3. Understand Balance and Compromise
There is power in small steps. Americans especially like to believe that drastic changes are the fastest and easiest way to accomplish something (think diets, pyramid-schemes, etc) but we cannot sustain such drastic things all the time. Instead, let's celebrate consistent steps towards our goals no matter their size.
4. Be Kind
I'll say it again; be kind to everyone. Remember everyone is not just your group, those you are familiar with, or those society shines spotlights on. Being kind to everyone means we have to continually check ourselves and what motives are behind our actions.
Here's what I've learned: if my social media posts are hurting people more than helping them, then I am doing it all wrong.
People > Posts
Stay safe out there!