When social media was first invented, nobody really knew how much it would impact the world. Now we are all living in a time where many feel the need to have "safe spaces"- and rightfully so. At least once a day I get on some sort of social media platform and all I see is negativity being spread around from stranger to stranger.
Why is this? Why do we live in a world where Kim Kardashian West is robbed at gunpoint, and a few days later someone comes up on my timeline saying that she should have been killed? Why does her life mean any less than the person's who wrote that post?
What breaks my heart is how frequently I see posts like this -- celebrities being bashed by people who do not know them personally or strangers giving their two cents on a poor mother who's son fell into a gorilla pit. For some reason, people feel the need to say that another person that they have never met in real life, should either kill themselves or be killed. It is about time we stopped with these insensitive posts.
But why should we stop saying people would be better off dead other than, you know, it being the right thing to do?
You never know who is reading what you post.
Many young people use social media. The same young people who are still figuring themselves out and where they fit into the world. Every generation wants the next generation to be better, but how are we supposed to expect the younger generations to act when the older generations post such vile things? You never know who may look up to you. Monkey see monkey do. If the young people that look up to you are seeing you post hateful things about people you do not particularly like, then they will also feel that this is acceptable behavior. Or maybe it will also give them a poor outlook on life when the very people who have taught them to be kindhearted their entire life write extremely hurtful things.
You very well may end up being one of the reasons a person does take their own life.
The biggest problem with depression is that many people are able to function every day without the slightest hint of a mental disorder. When people with any type of mental disorder are the subjects of unnecessary rude comments, then it is going to hurt them ten times more than you could possibly imagine. Think about what you are saying. Do you actually wish this person were dead? How would their death affect your own life? It wouldn't; however, the person who's life you care so little for does have friends and family that would be devastated if that person's life did ever unexpectedly end.
Social media is not the place for that.
Social media is a wonderful thing meant for connecting with friends and loved ones. It is a place for new ideas to be spread and discussed in a way that can bring about progress. It is a place where adorable pictures of puppies can be found for all to see. It was not intended to spread hate, and should not be used for such.
Be the change you want to see in this world
We all complain of how much more frequently news of violence is occurring. We wish that the world was a better place. The only way to fight hate is with love. If we wish to see some good in the world, then we must put good into the world. How about we all show more compassion to each other from now on?
Positive posts + happier outlook on life = a happier you
One of the most important life lessons I have learned so far is this: hurting people hurt people. While it may not always be easy to look at everything with a positive light, the more we try to do so the happier we become in the long run. There is a reason so many people try to show on social media that there is still humanity in this world- because it gives people hope and makes peoples' days.
I am almost positive that if each person said something kind to at least one other person each day in place of a rude comment, then not only would we personally feel happier but the world would be a much better place.
