Social media has been so bad for us in so many ways. It tastes good (to some) like a strawberry shake, and is just about the same good in the longer term. If I were raising young kids now, I'm not sure exactly how I would handle it. I think I have an idea what youth actually need - total elimination of it. But I'm unsure what 'balance' I'd strike as a parent, given the way it's woven into communications now between the young folks.
I guess maybe I'd just treat it like any other harmful, addictive substance that needed to be minimized but couldn't be avoided: Limit the heck out of it and ACTIVELY, intentionally try to teach my kids alternatives - like how to compose emails, how to talk to people on the phone, and actual face to face outings with people. As well as recognizing when it was becoming an emotional harm and/or a waste of valuable time as best as they could.
But back to the thread purpose. I haven't clicked the link yet, but given the posts and title, I have to assume that in this case by "trolling" the author is referring to the worst case type of stuff--what we used to call "flame wars" when the internet first started.
Yes - People have a responsibility.
Get off the dang computer! Walk around your house, have a conversation with someone, pick up the phone, drive around the block, take a walk, feel the rain, get your hands dirty, trim a bush, hike, bake a cookie, do a hobby, watch a movie, pet the dog, volunteer to help somebody else, listen to or make music, eat a meal with another person. Stay in touch with the physical world at a 10:1 ratio to the digital world, as best as you can.
Even eat a ding-dong if you must. Literally anything other than scrolling through more near-strangers random streams of consciousness, or, worse yet, their heavily filtered "best version of myself" pictures and projections, the constant examination of which has nearly ruined a generation of young girls via self esteem, envy, loneliness and stress.
fb.watch
