Last October I wrote about the benefits of taking a social media fast. A year later, I actually took one.
Social media has streamlined communication to the point where being first is often more important than being right, and casting doubt is more important that finding good. The dangers of cancel culture and instant certainty have been explored by some of my colleagues at the Deseret News, and I find it disheartening to see so many who have determined that one issue or mistake is what is most important to focus on. Doing so makes us lose sight of the reality that a whole person contains multitudes.
It’s those feelings that led me to avoid social media during the sessions of the 189th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints last weekend. I felt I was becoming too intent on criticizing and feeding off of other’s views before coming to my own conclusions. My mindset had gradually shifted to focusing on what was wrong, instead of finding hope.
Acknowledgement of mistakes and flaws is a necessary component of growth and understanding. Glossing over issues or ignoring problems only leads to pain, anger and larger problems. In anything, there are issues that should be addressed and problems that are valid. But somewhere along the way, I had unintentionally started to view positive intentions with the purpose of finding something to harp on, not something to make me better.
Escaping the “echo chamber of cynicism” (my new nickname for Twitter) over the weekend helped reset my perspective. It reinstilled in me the hope that things can change, and reminded me of how much already has. I counted blessings instead of problems.
There is a need for people to voice their opinions and point out room for change, but social media can warp a constructive dialogue into an anger-laden minefield with no room to grow.
There is a need for people to voice their opinions and point out room for change, but social media can warp a constructive dialogue into an anger-laden minefield with no room to grow.
The internet has a wealth of knowledge, but social media may not be the best source for it. Studies have found that social media, Twitter in particular, can not just stop one’s ability to attain knowledge, but can actually reduce it. Online may be a good place for sharing learning, but perhaps not the best for instigating it. In other words, Twitter may not be making us the deep thinkers it pretends to.
Social media would have you believe that the cynics are always right, but cynicism is not a mark of intellectualism. Arguably, the biggest change-makers in this world were the ones who held positive outlooks in the face of injustice. Spreading the good word needs just that — good words.
Back in May, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey announced that the company would be conducting research to measure the “health” of conversations taking place on the platform. Even the founder had become aware of the trend of negative Twitter conversations. How many more are unconsciously influenced by that negativity?
The first time I used social media to keep up on conference was seven years ago. At the time it was full positivity — individuals sharing quotes and trying to spread the messages to the world. When I logged on after the sessions this time, I saw the most “liked” commentary contained the harshest criticism. I imagine that any outsider would have a hard time believing that this was a conference meant to give hope and inspire good works.
I was more spiritually uplifted, inspired to do good, love others and full of hope for the future from this last conference than I have been from any other recent one. I don’t believe it’s because the messages were any more important or moving, or because I was in a particularly spiritual state. No, I think the change was allowing myself to feel and think, not let social media do it for me.