Thursday, August 18, 2022

Pause and give thought

August 18, 2022

I enjoy social media in very small doses. Facebook serves my writing alter ego for promotional purposes, and I have a more personal page for family. Twitter informs my writing alter ego of people's opinions and connects me to a lot of other writers to share a few laughs. I don't like the Instagram platform - anything I can do only on my phone doesn't do a thing for me - but I post the occasional picture just because I can. Is YouTube social media or has it become its own thing? The spousal unit and I like to watch a variety of YouTube channels from homestead gardening to off-road recoveries to metal detecting to classic car restorations. And of course, I enjoy blogging. Blogging is writing and that's my thing. 

This morning I was reading through my Twitter feed while slurping down those first sips of coffee and trying to wake up when I came across this photo, captioned, "Have you had your pills this morning?"

Whoa. Whoa, baby. 

I don't know what some of those represent. I don't think I want to know. I get the message, loud and clear, though. Has social media become our drug(s) of choice? 

My daily routine has not wavered for several years. Once I get to my computer every morning, I check my personal email and then I zip off to check Twitter and Facebook. 

Damn. That's exactly like taking a pill every morning. So does my social media pill benefit my brain the way a vitamin benefits my body? 

My short answer to that is that it depends on what you're feeding your brain. Are your opinions just a parroted response based on something you saw on social media? Are you challenged to consider a wider view? Perhaps it focuses your view to laser sharpness. 

Do you simply "take the pill" and allow it to take over your life? Is social media equivalent to "drinking the kool-aid?" (Does November 18, 1978 ring any bells in your memory?) Do you turn everything you read into a chance to shout your opinions and beliefs as if those with opposing views are ignorant and out of step with (your) reality?

Or do you carefully filter out the negative and look for the positive? Are you self-aware enough to read someone else's opinion, know you don't agree, and simply move on without confrontation? Perhaps you look for learning opportunities or for the opportunity to praise others for a good idea, a shared photo, or a challenge overcome. Maybe you like funny memes and like to share the laughter. 

The photo of social media pills is a sobering reminder that we should stop and carefully consider what we take into ourselves. We need to be responsible to ourselves, every day. Social media has the potential to turn us all into blind followers that are led to graze in fields of someone else's choosing.  

I can speak only for myself, but I don't want to be part of the social media herd. I won't dismiss the value of social media but I will exercise caution. My opinions won't easily be swayed by celebrities and "influencers." I will check the facts for myself. I won't hop on any bandwagon that has the potential to harm me. In other words, I'll use the good common sense God gave me each morning when I down my social media pill. 

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Social media links:
Life through the eyes of my black Lab, Greenbrier Smokey Deuce: deucesday.blogspot.com
My country life at Holly Tree Manor: hollytreemanor.blogspot.com
Snips and clips on my YouTube channel: KC Kendricks Between the Keys



KC Kendricks, Between the Keys, contemporary gay romance, m/m romance, LGBT, social media, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, opinions, influencers, common sense



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