I couldn't look at my newsfeed the morning after the election. It was dreadful, downheartening and depressing. The first post expressed remorse that we wouldn't have a female president to fight for women's rights. The second person was afraid that the future of minorities in our nation looked grim. I didn't even read through the entire third post because it was too difficult. On each of these posts, some individuals provided supportive insights, while others lashed out at their friends for lack of hope, their personal political beliefs, or explained person's remarks about a particular candidate were simply wrong.

There were some great conversations on social media that followed election night. However, many debates also arose. Many people were angry or upset with the election results and lashed out at each other over Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or other social media platforms. Social media has become a venting place in this technology-focused society. Some want others to hear their voice and affirm their beliefs. Others don't know what to think and want someone to help them understand what the future holds for America.

All this debate and discussion has left many weary and tired of the election. Some of my peers didn't even stay up to hear the election results. Others stopped following political news last month or stopped checking their social media entirely. I even talked to people who didn't know which candidate they wanted to vote for until election day arrived. Americans have become politically fatigued and don't want to fixate on politics any longer because they are tired of feeling angry, confused, fearful, and disappointed, among mixtures of other emotions. Some people don't even talk about politics with anyone — they shut political conversation down immediately because they don't want to fight with anyone.

Although this trend increased after election day, it actually began earlier as unsatisfied citizens expressed dissatisfaction with the political candidates. Pew Research picked up on this social media movement in a recent study published Oct. 25, "The Political Environment on Social Media."

Pew explained how political debate and discussion is normal for social media users. Some actually enjoy talking with others that share different perspectives, but the majority become annoyed with all the political comments they encounter. In this survey, 59 percent of respondents expressed how they find discussions about politics on social media stressful and frustrating, while 37 percent stated that seeing political posts and discussions on their news feed wears them out.

Some users discuss politics civilly, but the plurality hold firm to their opinions and respond harshly to others. This is not uncommon on social media, where people impulsively post negative comments because they cannot see others' reactions to their words. Pew asked their survey respondents if political discussions are more or less of a certain characteristic on social media as opposed to regular conversations. Fifty-three percent of survey respondents said political discussions are less respectful and 49 percent said they are more angry than anything else.

Facebook aggregates content, so people often receive posts that match their beliefs and interests. However, everyone still has friends who hold different beliefs, so they ultimately will encounter dissenting views. As a result, heated political disputes frequently break out on social media.

I resonate with these statistics and still find it difficult to read through my news feed, even though a week has passed since election day, because I have become frustrated with all my friends' negative attitudes about our country's future. Our country needs optimistic people to create progress instead of prevalent pessimism.

Apparently, other Americans feel the same way. Eighty-three percent of survey respondents said they ignore most of the political things their friends post on social media and 31 percent said they changed their settings to avoid encountering any related content. Sixty percent also said they changed their newsfeed settings because they thought the content was offensive.

Discussion about politics social media do not have to harm others — they have the potential to shape others' views and challenge them to encounter different perspectives. They can even help individuals who remain undecided about their party affiliation or stance on issues to identify what they believe. We cannot avoid others with different beliefs than our own and we must work with others with beliefs across the political spectrum to truly improve our nation's future.

How can people peacefully talk about politics on social media? They key is stating our own beliefs, but not trying to persuade others to join our side or attack them for what they believe. Let others decide if they want to change their views — do not force feed opinions to them. It is also important to examine the tone of each post. It is acceptable to express concerns about the new president, our nation's future, or other big issues in our country, but an openly pessimistic or bubbly tone does not help things, Expressing feelings about issues we're passionate about — such as the economy, environment, minority rights, as well as others — can bring citizens of this country together for a greater cause.

Overall, social media has stimulated a gloomy environment this election season, but it can actually help this nation if people seek to understand each other, unite for a greater purpose, and bring change .