Recently, I made the decision to de-plug from Facebook. I had enough with the fights with words from post that I would post. We have our talks with our children about the damaging effects of Cyberbullying. But yet no one is talking about the cyberbullying we as adults are doing everyday!
I have always loved Facebook, from the childhood friends I have found, to checking up on old boyfriends lives (admit it you do it too), to the very adductive games. But I was living in this world that what people posted must be the truth just maybe Photoshopped a little. The truth of the matter is that nothing we see is true, or it's TOO true. I have seen people gosh over their loved one over and over, or post WAY to many self pictures of themselves just to find out weeks later that the two are separating, and that the person has gained some weight and were feeling insecure about it. Then the people taking crazy wonderful trips over and over making people think they must be very rich! But then you find that it just happens that they work for a travel website. The way we put our lives out on social media is not the truth it's what we want the truth to be. Just like the ten pounds we take off our pictures with Photoshop. Then there is the people that are WAY too truthful for their own good. Every thing is going wrong for these people. Every trip to the hospital for a small fever is a ten line post stating that someone was on the brink of death. I have had people post things that should of never been posted until ALL family members were told. Or the posts that are so short that is freaks everyone out.
But the worst thing to happen with social media is cyberbullying and worst of all from adults that should know better. When kids and teens do it adults chew them out for it. Why that is, is because it's so noticeable. It's a blunt insult, Slut, Fat, Bitch... easy. But us adults are doing it too but in a very different way.
I have many different friends from many different times in my life. I have "friends" from churches throughout my life, high school mates, old co-workers, to even mom play date groups. The best part of my "friends" on Facebook is that we all are different and have different views. However, with that comes the mean comments. I have been attacked on subjects from parenting, to gay marriage, and even small news stories. I have had old friends that knew me and know that I am not a hateful person "de-friend" me from just one post, or even one picture. I have never de-friended anyone that had a different view then me. I have never told someone that they were wrong or are a bad parent or that they have no heart, or the worst, that they are racist or prejudice, but I have been told that by others, just from my views. These are to be my "friends"? I would think that they wanted to be my "friend" for a reason. I don't think I am better then anyone. I am a Christian, but I know we all are given the right to live the way we want to live, and we were given that right from God. And in the eyes of God a sin is a sin, not one is bigger or worst then others. I am in NO way perfect and I have never told anyone differently. With the right to live our lives the way we what too means that we are allowed to feel differently about different views. Now, I know I don't have one "friend" that is hateful or racist. But yet there are some that make me out to be, just by their words and tones. Maybe I am being over sensitive but as adults we know that we have to be carful with the written word. I can send a text to my husband and he will think I am mad if I have a ! at the end. But come on adults we know that and we should by now know that we need to over read what we are going to post and make sure to end it with something nice. Whatever happen to the "If you don't have anything nice to say, Do say anything at all!" Us adults are always telling kids and teens that in the social media world once you put something out on it there, there is no true way to get it back... but yet we are not practicing that ourselves. Why aren't we reading what we are posting before we so quickly comment. Why are we jumping to sides and not hearing them out. Why are we so quick to jump on the bandwagon without a thought. If we are to call these Facebook connections as "friends" then we need to start treating them as such.
Don't get me wrong we should be able to share our views on a topic and I love it when friends explain them to me. But when they get to the point where the same person has posted over and over and in a mean tone and under toning with personal insults I would call that Adult CyberBullying! This is when we need to have our kids and teens sit us down and teach us about the dangers of cyberbullying!
