Can we pledge to make social media great again as a New Year’s resolution?
“Talk is cheap.”
“Actions speak louder than words.”
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”
These adages are engrained in my memory bank but seem irrelevant these days.
Social media and internet forums give everyone a soapbox from which to impart their “wisdom.”
Some Facebook commenters must think their opinions are so valuable they must be shared, even if they espouse hatred, disdain or baseless allegations and observations.
“Who died and made you king” of the internet and an expert on everything known to man?
Maybe it’s just me, but 2016 seems to have scraped the bottom of the barrel of civility until there is none left.
No matter the tragedy, you will find people opining on the victim’s poor choices, a parent’s missed opportunity to protect a child or a police officer’s actions.
Armchair quarterbacking is no longer just for sports.
People seem to love to take pot-shots as they point out others’ mistakes and missteps.
The digital diatribes set off Facebook feuds as people take sides. “Unfriending” was epidemic this year based on political persuasions.
As arrows are slung in the arena of current events, journalists often are targets. Our intelligence, integrity and motives continually are under assault.
We deserve criticism for biased coverage, but are we all guilty as charged?
Innocence doesn’t matter in today’s climate as truth becomes harder to find. “Fake news” captivates and is assumed to be fact.
It is increasingly difficult to sort it all out, but can we please be civil to one another?
Agree to disagree, but “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything.”
Liz Fabian: 478-744-4303, @liz_lines
This story was originally published December 14, 2016 at 1:18 PM with the headline "Can we pledge to make social media great again as a New Year’s resolution?."