We Need More Social - Less Media

I like to say that the great thing about social media is that it gives everyone an equal opportunity to overestimate the importance and correctness of their thoughts and beliefs on a much larger scale than just their normal sphere of influence. 

The danger of social media is that it has socialized people into thinking that one post or two comments below a post is what the world actually thinks. 

Or even worse, when the post attacks them personally, what the world thinks about THEM.

Any person's thoughtful opinion has some value. But that value is limited to the vacuum in which it's heard. When it's entirely negative, hateful or meant to hurt or demean others, the reality is that there's very little value in that opinion and it should be treated as such.

We live in a time when anxiety and insecurity levels have risen to an all-time high because we're so easily engulfed in how loud we allow the voices of a tiny group of negative people to become as they echo in our heads.  

We can believe that the world is dissolving around us because we allow social media to amplify the one or two negative voices so loudly that we can't allow ourselves to see the positive - even if it is, in fact, overwhelmingly positive everywhere around us.  

As a country, we've fallen in love with bad information and bad conversation... to all of our detriment.  

But that's not real. That's not what real life is. That foolishness is not the thoughts, opinions or actions of those who you're surrounded by. 

Value the opinions of people who you value. 

And if you value and appreciate someone, let them know... every day. Be specific about what you admire or you appreciate about them. That's what makes a difference. That's what sticks with people. That's what changes the course of people's days, people's weeks, people's minds and people's lives. Accentuate the positive and dismiss the negative.

Negative, angry, divisive social media posts are as disposable as any other trash. Treat them that way.  

But spread love and kindness to those you love, appreciate and admire every day to help drown out the noise and make the world a much better place, one person at a time. 

The world needs a lot more "social". And a lot less "media".