My Social Media Divorce

I’m 57 years old, and I cannot remember a time when this country was more divided than it is now. It probably has been, maybe even more so, but I was either too young or too disconnected to be aware of it. I have a visceral response to conflict and discord anyway, so in this age of constant media streams, it can be overwhelming.

In my opinion, the greatest contributor to this division is social media. In the 1980s, -90s, and early 2000s, if you wanted to share an opinion publicly, you wrote a letter to the editor of a magazine or newspaper. This required time and effort, which facilitated more thinking. I’m not saying all public opinions shared in writing then were well thought out, but the process of writing the opinion, printing it out, and sending it to the publication—or even emailing it—did involve some degree of reflection on your choice of words.

Now it’s too easy to hit “like,” “comment,” and “share.” We can read or watch something that stimulates a thought or feeling, and within seconds our opinion is out there for others to see. Some people are able to self-manage and regulate their liking, commenting, and sharing. Most are not. We have become a more uncivil society because we all now think that our opinion is worthy of other people’s consideration.

But opinions are not evidence-based claims. They are the tools of influencers and trend-setters, many of whom are nothing more than self-indulgent narcissists obsessed with likes and followers. I should know, because I’ve been just as guilty as that narcissist-in-chief currently residing in the White House who seems more concerned with self-promotion than the welfare of all the residents of this country he has been elected to lead. Shame on him, and shame on me.

Therefore, I am deciding to greatly reduce my usage of Facebook and Twitter. The former has done little to regulate the flow of misinformation and hate through its channels, and as for the latter, I never really saw the point of “microblogs” anyway. Nobody can say anything of substance in 280 characters or less.

I will continue to participate in Facebook groups which align with my values of social justice and environmental responsibility. And Star Trek. I thoroughly enjoy the Star Trek groups. I’ll continue to be a part of family groups I’ve created, as well. And Facebook Messenger is an efficient method of communicating in real time. And I do value reconnecting with individuals I knew and loved in years past, whom I haven’t seen in decades. But I won’t be looking at my Home feed. Too much shit comes through and stinks up my world. And Facebook makes it too hard to regulate that flow.

Part of my voluntary estrangement from Facebook is also the fact that they continue to give a voice to groups that promote violence and hate. I’ve seen the posts and shares of some of my own family members, and they not only sadden me, they anger me and make me feel ashamed to be affiliated in any way with such people. It’s one thing to be an advocate of responsible gun ownership; it’s another to express sentiments in which you would shoot first and ask questions later. It’s one thing to be fiscally and socially conservative; it’s another to promote attitudes and actions that not only demean other human beings—beloved creations of God—but do so with a violent tone. Jesus told His disciples to go forth and make disciples of every living creature. He also told them if a village or town refused to receive that Gospel message, they were to “…shake the dust off their feet” and move on. So here I am, shaking the digital dust of those godless virtual villages off my feet and moving on. Your hearts are hard, and you seem to have no desire for a heart of flesh. You refuse to receive the Gospel, that God loves everyone and not just those who look, sound, pray, and love like you, so I am done with you. If you desire to have a heart of flesh, then I will meet you halfway and do what I can to help you have it. But I will not tolerate your spiritual darkness, and I will no longer tolerate Facebook and Twitter contributing to your lack of light.

To Facebook: you need to do better. You were originally intended as a way for college students to connect. College students aren’t even interested in you anymore. Instead, you have become a forum for all voices, but you won’t take responsibility for regulating the voices that sow seeds of discontent and misinformation, because that’s not profitable. Shame on you.

To Twitter: shut people up. You’ve done nothing at all to encourage civil discourse because that’s not profitable, either. You should have blocked that hater-in-chief a long time ago. I’m not just going silent on you; I’m disabling my account.

I’ll stay active on LinkedIn, which seems to be doing a much better job at ensuring professional, mature communication. And I’ll post dog, trip, and food pics on Instagram. I’ll post vidoes on YouTube that align with my personal mission to inform, inspire, and entertain, and I will do so with social responsibility in mind.

And I will commit to blogging more often, to force myself to think about what I am writing and sharing, and to encourage readers to respond to me directly and personally via email so that they, too, can think more carefully about what they write. I ask that any communications be respectful and civil, and that you back your opinions with evidence from credible sources. Anything less will be met with silence on my end.