It is 2018 and conversations like this still need to happen.

Social media is one of the most important aspects of many of our lives. Some use it as a personal place for wily photos and videos while others use it as a place for business. For many, it is the first thing they check in the morning, like the morning newspaper. For others, it is the last thing they check at night, like the lock on a door or the burners on the stove. Social media has taken over many of our lives in both positive and negative ways.

There are good parts to social media. The true beauty of social media is that it is an entirely open space that is available to a wide and vast audience. People of all ages can get onto social media and connect with others who have common thoughts and interests. These people can create networks based on small similarities like favorite pizza topping or favorite Beyoncé album.

There is no such thing as being “too opinionated” on your own social media.

On your social media, you are allowed to post whatever you want, whenever you want. On platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook, you can create a following of individuals who want to hear your thoughts and opinions. Having a following is not everything, but it is nice. It is nice to think that people like you enough to choose to follow you, your life, and your posts. Social media has created a new sense of belonging for the world. With the way social media is used today, it is easy to create online communities that interact and communicate healthily.

Do not get me wrong, there are times and instances when this “open field” of social media becomes a problem.

Although it is easy to accrue a positive community and following, there are always trolls.

Trolls are people who choose to follow your social media even though they do not like you and they do not respect your opinions. Trolls are, in a word, awful. They make individuals feel as though they are not allowed to post their opinions, thoughts, and words onto social media simply on the basis that they do not agree with them. Trolls are a strange group because they have the choice of whether or not they follow you. They do not have to see what you post or what you think. They still have all of the individual freedoms social media offers. They can always block you or unfollow you, but they choose to stick around and criticize you. Whatever you do, please do not become a troll.

Your social media is all yours. You have the freedom to post whatever you want, whenever you feel the need to. You should never allow the negative opinions of internet trolls to deter you from posting your opinion. If you are not directly hurting or harming someone with your opinion, post it. Social media has given the individual the power to decide how people perceive them. You are allowed to make yourself look like the coolest kid on the block or the lamest kid in the library.

It is your social media. Post whatever you want, whenever you feel the need to. You are entitled to your opinion and you are allowed to post it whenever or wherever you please.