Maybe it's me and maybe I pay too much attention to social networks, but it seems that the people who post the most on twitter, facebook, etc are unhappy people. Most of the discussion online is not...uh...nice. There is a lot of anger and it seems that many people want to vent.
The more anonymous, the more venom. It's unfortunate because so many good things can come from social networking. I have met people throughout the world, gotten back in contact with people from my childhood, and keep up with current and former students. But the spewing of hateful opinions makes me often rethink if I should stay online or not.
Why are people so angry? Why do they feel they can go online and vent and get away with it because I have often confronted some of the ignorance spewed forth. I probably shouldn't. I probably should just ignore it or not search it out, but sometimes that stuff is brought to my attention and then the Curious George in me wants to look for it.
Too often people have opinions about things that they know either nothing or very little about. They take that bit of information and then spread it online. Others get hold of it that know even less than the original spreader of half truths or lies and it takes off as truth.
What's funny to me (ok, not really) is that my name gets dragged into situations that I have had zero or little to do with. But it gets played out in people's heads as the truth and the next thing I know, I am responsible for something that's just not true.
I know I do this and I have made a pointed effort to not spread anything that I don't know for sure (I guess that's the problem, everyone seems to think they know for sure). What I have gotten good at is typing something out and realizing it could be taken wrong and then deleting it. That usually makes me feel better.
But the thing that keeps me from typing hateful things so often is I know how it feels to be on the other end. And I am trying to be better....I am trying.
