opinion
january15
2015
An Opinion:
3
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Social Media
By Scott Laird
In today’s world we get our
news and information about current
events, about our community and about
each other from a variety of sources-
television, radio, the internet, social
media, word of mouth, sometimes even
from newspapers.
Social media is a unique source
of information because it allows both the
sharing of news, thoughts and ideas, as
well as providing a place for interaction
between the sharers.
It has become a powerful tool
that can either tie us together or drive us
apart.
We have come to rely, even
depend on the internet and platforms
like Facebook and texting as a positive
way to stay connected with friends,
family and loved ones; to share our
experiences and important moments
with those far away. In Vernonia we’ve
successfully used Facebook to create
Community Bulletin Boards to share
local, pertinent and timely news about
upcoming events, road conditions, and
local businesses or services, including
specialized pages to provide knowledge
about specific issues: lost and rehoming
of pets, virtual garage sales, and farming,
gardening and country living.
Our world has become so
much more dependent on social media
as our link to current events, news and
information as well as a way to connect
with our community. But many people
are coming to the realization that sharing
so much information may not be in our
best interest.
We’ve found that instead of
becoming a place to share and debate
ideas, thoughts and opinions, social
media is becoming a place where people
criticize and put down those who see the
world differently. It’s become a place
where, instead of learning from other’s
points of view, we tend to defend our
own to the bitter end.
Today, because of social media,
many of us know more about our friends,
neighbors, co-workers, acquaintances,
fellow citizens and even strangers than
we ever would have before; about their
religious beliefs, their stance on social
issues, their political leanings. We know
more about people’s values, morals, and
conduct. In the past we would never
know so much about the personal lives
of the clerk behind the counter at the
store, the person sitting across the table
from us at a meeting, or our neighbor
sitting next to us in church. And we
know these things about their family
members, and even their friends. It runs
the gamut from their views on abortion
or immigration to knowing what they
are having for dinner or when they last
took a shower.
We face an overload of personal
information we never had before.
This interconnectedness and
information sharing creates a burden
on all of us who participate in using
social media. We have to resist the
urge to form opinions about those we
disagree with or who support opposing
arguments. Knowing as much as we
do, may make it harder to want to be
friendly towards, work together with,
or want to help someone who we know
sees the world so differently than us.
The anonymity of social media
allows us to say things to people we
would never dream of saying to their
face in conversation and to treat people
with a sense of contempt and disdain that
makes polite society shudder. It can be
a feeding ground for bullies who force
their opinions and use name calling and
threats to control a conversation.
Yet in a small community, we’re
really not very anonymous. That person
you were arguing with this morning on
Facebook just might be standing in front
of you in line at the grocery store this
evening.
Arguing on social media rarely
convinces anyone to change their mind.
In fact what we’re usually doing is
driving a wedge deeper between us and
those we disagree with. We’re seeing it
in national political issues where the gap
between the right and the left widens
each and every day. And we know
there’s the potential for it to happen on a
local level.
We can chose to use social
media as a tool to stay connected, share
useful information and help each other.
Or we can chose to use it as a weapon to
try to force our opinions and viewpoints.
The choice is ours.
Columbia Humane Society Featured Pet
Athena is a very friendly and fun loving four
year old Rottweiler that came in as part of
our California transfer program. She is very
friendly, seems to do well with other dogs and
in general will more than likely just want to be
a couch potato. She is a big girl and weighs
in right around 85 lbs. Her adoption fee is
$165.00. If you have any questions please
don't hesitate to call or email.
Email: animalwelfare@columbiahumane.org
Phone: 543-397-4353
2484 Oregon Street
St. Helens, OR 97451
Web: www.columbiahumane.org
The
Publisher and Managing Editor
Scott Laird
503-367-0098
scott@vernoniasvoice.com
Contributors
Chip Bubl
Tobie Finzel
Dr. Carol McIntyre
Aaron Miller
Karen Miller
Shannon Romtvedt
Grant Williams
Photography
Scott Laird
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Have an article?
Contact: scott@vernoniasvoice.com
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