I read a quote recently that said “future goals and aspirations fall to the wayside at the threat of one’s immediate safety” and it hit me in a palpable way. In the current political climate and bearing witness to such pervasive separation and divisiveness, I must admit that many times I feel unsafe.

In my mid-twenties I made the conscious decision not to watch the news. At that time I believed the news, and media outlets in general, to be biased and sensational. I saw how the headlines and feature stories were almost always focused on negative events and I saw how the ‘facts’ of the stories shifted depending on which media outlet was reporting on them. I decided that focusing on cultivating peace in my own daily life benefited me, and I was able to focus on the good things happening around me rather than getting caught up in the sensationalized negativity being broadcast on the tv screen and printed on the front pages. I was a little in the dark, and certainly a little naive, but I felt more peace and I felt safe.

Then came the introduction of social media. Today (though I’ve grown up a bit, and have decided that putting my head in the sand completely probably isn’t the best way to stay informed and form my own opinions as a contributing member of society) choosing to not see these negative reports isn’t an option and is completely unavoidable if I choose to have active social media accounts. Though I do NOT follow CNN, Fox News, BBC, or even NPR I see every headline about Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, the decline of the economy, the banning of drag shows, the chronic conditions of homophobia, transphobia, immigration, racism, cancel culture, school shootings, gun rights, and even the unfortunate murder of a case of beer with an assault weapon. Worse than that, I’m not only seeing reports of them, I am subject to the tainted bias of whoever in my social media feed is sharing the information, followed by an onslaught of argumentative comments that are not only NOT productive, but are downright cruel in their nature. In fact, these ‘posts’ on my ‘social media’ beg me to ask the question: ‘Is social media uniting us or undoing us?’ 

I know some of you will say “if you don’t like it, then you could very easily choose not to have social media just as you chose to ignore the news some twenty years ago” and you’re right I could. But, as a man in my forties, I have learned that sometimes you have to take the bad with the good. 

Do I believe that social media, in and of it self, is an evil medium designed to separate and divide us as communities, countries, and even globally? No. As an online entrepreneur, social media is one of my greatest marketing outlets. As a human, I love seeing what my friends are up to; friends from all of the paths I’ve walked thus far. I know that I would have lost touch with most of the people I’ve worked with or gone to school with throughout the years if it weren’t for platforms such as instagram and Facebook. I see the value in these outlets. However, I also see how SO much information (not always true or accurate) being shared at such a rapid rate, and on a global level, is feeding the chasm of divisiveness, and creating fear in the lives of so many. 

When I decided not to watch the news those years ago, I knew that someone was behind the decision of what to air, what not to air, what stories to pounce on for the sake of increased viewership; but I did not  know who that person was. Today, I see who is sharing sensationalized stories,  and I sat next to them in my sixth grade math class. Were we so different from one another then? Are we that different from one another now? I don’t really think so. But this trend of everyone exercising their right to use their page as a soap box is turning out to divide us, even more, to divide and conquer us. 

Mother Teresa was once asked to attend an anti-war rally and she declined the offer. Instead, she responded “When you have a ‘pro-peace’ rally invite me to that.” She knew that when we focus on the problem we are closing ourselves off to seeing the solution. Chaos and peace cannot co-exist in the same vessel. When we so adamantly and sometimes cruel-heartedly share our opinions without the thought of editing for the sake of kindness, compassion, grace, and all the good and positive things that we learned about in Sunday school, we become a part of the problem. When we belittle instead of reasonably debate with our childhood friends because they voted for someone we didn’t vote for, we are becoming a part of the problem. But, the good news is we CAN use these platforms for good. We can show up as the best versions of ourselves and be a part of the solution. Solution looks like focusing on what unites us. Solution looks at the things we have in common rather than the things that we disagree on. When we focus on something it gets bigger in our minds, it takes up more space in our brains, and when our thoughts are predominantly focused on a subject, that subject tends to show up more and more in our life experiences. So why not let our thoughts be predominantly kind? 

I truly believe that through the innate goodness that we are all born with, coupled with the global soapbox of social media that we share, we can find solutions. I believe we can find peace. I believe that we can override the pre-programmed fear that is designed to divide and distract us. I truly believe that we can make this world and the World Wide Web a place in which people can feel loved and feel safe. 

So, is social media uniting us or undoing us? I think the answer is up to us. It’s what we do with social media that answers that question. I am going to aim for unity. I’m going to aim for safety. I am going to aim for peace so that my future goals and aspirations for a better world has a chance of being met. Will you join me? Meet me at the usual soapbox.