I need a break from social media

Kaity Holtman

Sometimes it can just be too much.

Yes, I promote social media as part of my job.

And as a news source, Facebook does a great job of getting important community news out to the people who need it.

Social media allows us to put the news where the people are, which (hopefully) results in a more educated and connected public.

Here’s an interesting fact for you, social media drives 51 percent of our website traffic. And 95 percent of those referrals are made by Facebook.

So, obviously, I rely heavily on social media and appreciate its importance to our business.

That being said, people, in my opinion, are abusing the system.

Now, I’ve never personally asked Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg what his intention for Facebook was. And I doubt he cares how people use it, just that they are using it and he is making money from that usage.

But it has always been my thought that Facebook is a great mechanism to keep up with our network of friends, family, and colleagues, past and present, and to share news and information.

And if that were all that happened, I wouldn’t be writing this column.

Whether this was the original intention or not, I am not a fan of some of the things Facebook has grown into.

I don’t want to see memes (those are the often cartoonish or text heavy images that express opinions or make jokes) with every scroll I make.

I don’t want to see fake news stories.

I don’t want to see political, police, or racial smack-talking.

I don’t want to see people making passive aggressive comments about how someone made them mad, but they don’t want to talk about it. (Then don’t post it on the internet.)

I don’t want to see constant complaining about every little thing that goes wrong.

I don’t want to see pointless viral videos, and videos of cats doing stupid things. (OK, maybe a few of those are funny.)

I don’t want to see people arguing with one another every time another shooting happens.

I don’t want to see political bullying.

I don’t want to see people sharing every possible thing promoting their viewpoint without taking others’ viewpoints into consideration.

I want to scroll through my Facebook newsfeed and see what my family and friends from across the country are up to, so that I can keep up with their lives even when we don’t see each other often enough. I want photos, videos, and life updates from them.

I want to see relevant news from reliable sources.

I want productive conversation.

I want to see people connecting for benefits, community events, and networking purposes.

I want to see encouragement and well-wishes.

Really, now that I think about it, what I want to see on social media is what I want to see in the real world.

Sounds easy, doesn’t it?

But it must be easier to let all the extra clutter in our lives take over the important stuff.

It seems as though social media has fueled hatred and has streamlined spreading that hatred to the masses.

Yes, there has always been negativity in the world, but it seems so much worse now because we can all share and comment and elaborate on it to so many people, all at once.

And there is so much negativity and junk to filter through, that checking Facebook exhausts and annoys us instead of connecting us in the ways it should.

How can we use it for good?

How can we cultivate productive conversation?

How can we finish our visit to a social media site feeling good instead of upset?

It all starts within each of us, making a conscious effort to spread positivity and encouragement to those we have the opportunity to impact.

Whether it’s in person, or across a screen, we have the power to spread good to those around us.

We should take advantage of every opportunity we have to do so.