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Has Social Media Made Us More Judgmental?

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Every time a big election comes up, I come very close to closing all my social media accounts. It has to be one of the worst times to be on social media. Everyone is right about their own opinions and everyone else with differing opinions are completely wrong. No one is afraid to state their opinion for all of the internet to view and read. We see a few snapshots and stories of a person’s life and suddenly we can all assume we know everything about that person.

Out of morbid curiosity, I sometimes read other people’s comments on different posts, news or blogs. Some people make the worst comments assuming they understand and know everything about the subject’s lives. If it is a story of a child being harmed, the parents must not have loved or watched their child properly. If it is a story of a mother choosing to work, many may accuse her of making the wrong choice for the upbringing of her child. If a mother chooses to breastfeed past the age of one or in public, she may be accused of being gross and improper. If a college student chooses not to drink alcohol, another college student may find offense and comment on why they were offended by the wording of the other student’s declaration. The possibilities of opposing comments and opinions are endless.

Have we become more judgmental or is it that we are just more aware of our judgment because of social media? Prior to social media, our judgment often remained as our own personal thoughts or limited to those just around us. It took significant effort to express our opinions to a large number of people prior to social media.

What is it about social media that makes us desire to state our opinions no matter the hurt and damage it can cost to another person? Is it because we can make a comment or post and cowardly choose to ignore to read anyone else’s countering opinions? Is it because we do not see the hurt in a person’s facial expressions if we had said the same thing in person? Why is it that we think whatever personal choice we make is right for everyone else? Do we voice opposition because it make us insecure about our own choices if someone else makes a different one?

I personally have made many choices in my life that is right for me and my family that I could blasted on social media if I chose to publically proclaim it. I am an ambitious hard working woman who made the choice to take a break in my career to be a stay-at-home mom, I bottle fed one child, I breastfed two others, I have chosen the Christian faith and I attend a mega church. These are my personal choices that work for me, but it would be not be hard to generate some opposing opinions once publicly known.

If the negativity of social media impacts you in a non-positive way, take a break from it, de-friend or unfollow people that do not promote positivity. With so much real stress in our lives from daily life, stress caused by social media is unnecessary.

 

Writer Bio: Summer Bolte

I spend most of my time and days with my three kids, husband and dog. My kids frequently play near me as I garden, cook, DIY and volunteer. My most unusual paying job has to be feeding fruit flies in a research lab, and my most fulfilling job was being an oncology nurse for seven years.  

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