For a social media lover, presidential campaign season is really interesting. On one hand, social media can be a great organization tool, uniting American citizens in the quest to achieve a common goal. New alliances are made, new friendships are formed, and ideas about how to make our great nation even greater are exchanged. On the other hand, the sometimes uncivilized behavior of those who do not see eye-to-eye politically can ruin relationships, dividing families and friends after hateful messages are exchanged. That is a real bummer.
Within minutes of Hillary Clinton posting her official 2016 Presidential campaign announcement yesterday afternoon, #Hillary2016 became a worldwide trending topic on Twitter and Facebook. I, like a lot of people on the Internet, was anxiously awaiting this announcement. I love Hillary, I’m excited for her campaign, and I hope to see her elected President of the United States. But more on that later.
Naturally, I hit the “Share” button on her heartwarming announcement video. Major props to her communications team for putting that together, it pulled at my heartstrings in all the right ways. I knew that while I have a lot of friends who are either Hillary supporters and/or know how to behave on the Internet, one of my die-hard conservative relatives would have something hateful to say regarding the upbeat video.
Now I’m no stranger to criticism online. I know that by sharing my political views, even in a brief and positive post such as, “Go equality! Go America! Go Hillary!”, I open myself up to the trolls of the Internet, folks who do not like my liberal political views and have no problem telling me exactly how wrong I am. I have gotten used to negative comments, even on non-partisan Facebook statuses. My extended family is from a different part of the country than I am, and as a result have conservative views that clash with political and social issues that I am passionate about.
Within a few moments of sharing the Hillary video, one of my older relatives made a comment on the video suggesting that Hillary should quit politics to become a homemaker and focus on her familial responsibilities. As a young woman with lofty career ambitions, this offended me. I spent the following hour planning how to gracefully respond.
Usually, I ignore hateful and ignorant comments on the Internet. The way I see it, there is no need to fight fire with fire. There is enough negativity online, and I never go out of my way to contribute to it. But because the comment offended me so much, I took a few minutes to write a calm, reasoned, and rational response. I articulated what offended me about the comment, and shared a positive message about Hillary, a woman whom I greatly respect and admire. Love her or hate her, Hillary has a lot of experience. I love her (can you tell?), and I am open to discussion about her history, but I will not tolerate sexist comments about her.
As we dive right in to the 2016 campaign season, we’re going to see a lot of political posts on social media. If you plan on joining the conversation online, I encourage you to do so with an educated and positive voice. If you have something logical to say about a candidate, I will read it. If you’re a Democrat, I’ll “like” anything that you share regarding how great Hillary is. If you’re a Republican, I am genuinely interested in what you have to say about your potential candidate. I probably won’t agree with you, but if you present a logical opinion about the man you want in the White House, I will definitely read it. If you fall into a category I haven’t mentioned yet, I’m also very interested in hearing your voice. I am looking forward to hearing about the credentials of ALL of the presidential hopefuls. I hope that those who may not share my political beliefs will see what I share as educational, and maybe even interesting.
Unfortunately, the reality is that positive and factual posts about politics do not dominate the Internet. Instead, feeds will often be littered with nasty messages, and mudslinging is a norm. Negative campaigning is common, as is sharing false information. I see it as our duty to abstain from posting hate-fueled messages, and to encourage our friends to do the same. Reasoned online discussions are great, as they provide a platform for us to share our opinions, but the second that a discussion turns uncivilized, it is a negative reflection on all parties involved. Stay far away from vulgar fights, they aren’t productive and can be very damaging. If things get out of hand, remember that you can always unfollow or unfriend those who take their political beliefs to offensive heights.
When in doubt, remember what you learned when you were a kid, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” Instead of bashing down opinions that you don’t agree with, stand strong and voice your own in a way that won’t ruin your relationships with friends and family.
And a quick note to my friends and followers: I will be fully supporting Hillary Clinton throughout her campaign. I will be posting positive messages about her on Facebook, Twitter, and other forms of social media. If you cannot handle this, unfollow me, unsubscribe from me, or even unfriend me. Its not you, its me.