I completely agreed with you @"Misua Cat"
There is no denying of the positives Social Media has provided for patrons that used the products. It had enabled millions of people to connect with one another with a click of a button. No longer that it take days to interact with a family member across the country, you can do that instantly through instant messaging or other various applications. And the ability for users to share [legitimate] news and offers discussions of many different topics and themes.
But there is a darkness that currently boiling deep under social media, specifically the one that have a large userbase. The importance of likes, retweets and karma had created an environment of competition for the sole purpose of gendering attention with bad takes, clout or whatever terminology that is currently being used when people argued in bad faith and a disingenuous position. The false happiness and comparison to keep up with the current trends.
The onslaught of bullying had manifest into putting social media into effective use. Instead of a victim facing one bully, they’re facing a possible number in the hundreds because with a flick of a finger, bad rumors can successfully shut them down as it spreads to hundreds of people in their school radius. “Turning off the laptop” is no longer an option (it was never an option to begin with). Negative news spreads, fake news creates profit and people are becoming more exposed to the negativity in comparison to positive aspect. Look no further than a manga tutorial artist who left twitter after being caught into a non-issue with [supportive] artists tearing them down. Once toxicity appears, it spreads like venom with no clear antidote to stop it—only slow it progression, if it even does that.
It’s very troubling that you are being attack for these things. It’s genuinely concerning that these so-called friends abandoned you when things no longer benefit them. When you speak the truth, they rather run, duck their head in silence (in hopes that you calm down or forget about it) or find a way to create a scenario to put you as a villain to justify their actions.
Hence, I believe that there is even a deeper darkness that I think social media had impacted. The ability for people to communicate effectively. People suddenly lost the ability to communicate what’s wrong. They rather vent their laundry to the world rather than speak directly with the person at hand to solve the issue in a respectful manner. Nothing gets done, anger boils over, bitterness raises, and toxicity drowns everyone in.
I have no evidence nor the standing of this position. There’s most likely no scientific data other than pure anecdotes on my part. I think social media creates an environment where it enables people to not take the time to communicate when its needed immediately; it allows the option to not respond to certain kind of users. If someone has an issue over the internet, you can ignore them until you’re ready, even when the situation requires an immediate discussion. But this cannot happen in real life. So, (in a way), it serves as a benefit for people to delay something until they feels is right but at the expense of others (long-distance relationship can have this problem as well).
A little bit of my own self for a bit, but I was diagnosis with social anxiety back in 2013 and have a huge problem on dealing with people due to my condition (I have TCS). Being hard of hearing and look [pretty] different than your average kid, friends was something of a rare sight in my life (I had people run away from me, people thrown stuff at me, isolated from group events, friends who had issues but never really expressed them to me) and the sort. So, I never was quite comfortable of forming close bonds with others, but I always cherish those that are pals as if they are blood.
Hence for the longest time, I avoid using Facebook and other social media because I wanted to avoid any backlash or hate (since I’m probably an easy target)… I do have a twitter (under an identity of course), but I rarely used it (though, it does show I lost a follower when I login a hour ago, so that’s weird). From what I experience with social media, I realized that just like in real life, communication is something that always plagued me whenever an issue arise… in both worlds, I’m trap in a slums of no one ever telling me a issue before it explodes into storm of ruin. So I kind of understand what you are feeling about this... I went through ton of "bumps" on the road with few people in the past. I always told others, some people are just addicted to anger. Some people don't want to deal with it. Some people want to escape responsibility. I think that just the unfortunate reality of bad effects of social media.
Social Media can be positive, but I feel that there’s a deeper darkness that curbs effectively communicate which might transcend into real life. And with hate spreading faster, it creates toxicity among people faster. You can isolate yourself to certain elements in social media (like twitter), but I think when one has to resort to limit one’s self to that extent, might as well never have one in the first place aside from family and very close friends.
So I hope, Misua, you find your happiness and rid of those that always put you down. :hug:
