Social Media

They call it social media.  Merriam-Webster defines social media as, “forms of electronic communication through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages and other content.”  It sounds like the digital equivalent of sitting on the porch and jawing over a glass of ice tea.  However, sitting on the porch and seeing each other eye-to-eye engenders a certain degree of respect and tolerance, even in the most heated of discussions.  Unfortunately social media lacks that connectedness, and many times social media discussions leave sociability behind and become battles better suited to the caged octagon than the front porch.
 
I have tried to walk away from social media, leaving all the rancor behind.  The problem is that I have also left behind contact with friends and family whom I have not seen for years, and even ones whom I have never met in person.  And this is something I am not willing to sacrifice.
 
I am not wise enough to know the answer to this conundrum.  From what I see on social media, I am not the only one lacking this wisdom.  I think the solution may have something to do with maturity and forbearance: speaking your mind and heart without your gut getting in the way.  I think the solution may have something to do with treating others the way you want to be treated.  I think the solution may have something to do with not demanding that I get the last word.  The solution may have something to do with putting social back into social media.
 
In the movie Hoosiers, George told the coach, “Look, mister, there’s… two kinds of dumb, uh… guy that gets naked and runs out in the snow and barks at the moon, and, uh, guy who does the same thing in my living room. First one don’t matter, the second one you’re kinda forced to deal with.”  While George was not a sympathetic character, I think he made a valid point.  No one wants to be embarrassed in front of his or her friends and family.  
 
They call it social media and maybe that’s the crux of the whole matter.  Social media reflects our coarse and combative society.  We are all looking for change.  Maybe we can start by changing the face of social media.