Living in the United States of America is a blessing. We experience freedoms here that don't exist in too many other places. We are free to believe what we want to believe and to voice our opinions on such beliefs. I think that free speech is SO important, and it is refreshing to see younger and younger people taking their place in the national conversation.

That, however, is not the case of social media activists.

Here is an example. I live in Georgia, the peach state, where recently, stricter abortion laws have been signed into effect by governor Brian Kemp. I will not voice my opinions on the matter, because that is not the purpose of this article. What I want to highlight is the dangerous "activist" backlash concerning the issue, and I use activist very lightly. It has launched a social media revolution amongst people in my area and in areas around me. And what a monsoon it has become.

There are those out there that keep up with the political sphere, who take the time to research and formulate thoughtful opinions about major issues. They align themselves with those that represent their interests, while at the same time respecting and peacefully arguing their point with those who think differently. They may even choose to voice their opinions on social media, backed by sound research and pondering. We love to see it.

Yeah, that's not what's happening here.

Suddenly, my instagram stories are filled up with political rants from people who have no idea what they are talking about. Screens upon screens of hateful comments towards lawmakers and reposted pictures from activist social media pages are dominating the platform. These things do not make you an expert on political issues, and I would really appreciate if you could just stop.

This is an extremely dangerous tornado of tension and anger. These issues are being made into status symbols, making it ok to blindly follow a political ideology that may discriminate towards others who believe differently. If you aren't posting pro-life activist propaganda and protest pics, then are you even relevant? You didn't repost that anti-abortion essay? Don't even talk to me. This prevents thoughtful conversation and productive argument that could actually lead to a solution.

This also creates an environment of extreme toxicity. When all you are doing is complaining all over your Instagram about the horrible things that lawmakers are putting into effect, there is no way to see the positive in all of the negative that you are spouting to your followers. That creates a perception that there is no solution to the problem, no ability to compromise. This is a very dark world view, and one that leads to absolutely nothing productive. Stop complaining, and start trying to come up with a solution that leads to compromise before you rant all over Snapchat about it.

This isn't "awareness", as much as you would like to think it is.

I respect people and organizations who wholeheartedly believe in a cause, and who want to support that cause in any way they can. As someone who is generally unsure about what I believe, I love to see the people who are writing and conducting research about sides of an issue that I could possibly align with. However, all I have been excited about lately concerning Georgia politics is avoiding my Instagram page. There is nothing productive going on there, and it needs to stop.

Educate yourself before you get into arguments and issues that you don't know about. There are two, usually more, sides to every story and issue, and I encourage anyone reading this to go out and do some research. Participate in the political conversation, but do it for the purpose of finding a solution, and keep all of the ignorant negativity off of my screen.