Being a voracious consumer of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more, it seems that every day I see social media drama on my Twitter and Facebook news feed in some form or another. Pictures of abused animals, tales of woe or anger, people asking others to share their stories of arguments they have had with family members so that they feel better about their own problems, even differences of opinion which become heated on the various groups and pages I am part of.
Social Media has given freedom of speech to even the person who thinks him or herself to be the smallest and unimportant person in the world. It empowers people to have a voice in countries where being outspoken in person can result in a prison sentence for doing so. Freedom of speech is a good thing and it has brought to the attention of the world many issues of oppression, violence and other serious problems. But, posting such negativity on the internet or getting caught up in someone else’s negative posts sends out a vibration. Choose your words carefully.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU SEND THIS KIND OF ENERGY OUT INTO THE UNIVERSE?
Negativity breeds negativity. Anger breeds anger. If you like, post, retweet or comment yourself you are adding to these emotions. You tell the universe that you accept these feelings into your cells and it will affect your entire day. It could even trigger a physical reaction in you: headache, stomach upset or just a general bad mood that you can’t shake.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU JOIN THE ARGUMENT?
You energise the feeling, you add fuel to the fire, you get caught up in the bad feeling, you even create a collective consciousness of anger, resentment, jealousy towards whatever the discussion is about. While sometimes this can generate much needed change in the world, generally is just not important enough to get upset about.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU SEE SOCIAL MEDIA DRAMA.
There are several ways of dealing with it. Unfollow, unlike the page or account that created the post. Refrain from commenting, hide the post from your feed, or simply just ignore. Better still, add a message of positivity instead.
It is equally important not to judge. Each person is on their own journey. Their reality is not yours. Do not allow it to affect you. Simply ignore and move on.
However, if you feel that you cannot ignore, first ask yourself:
- Is it true?
- Is it kind?
- Is it necessary?
- Is it helpful to others?
And ONLY then make your decision on whether to respond.
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Image source: royanlee.com
