I am not one to heavily get into politics, but when it is an election year, I definitely have heated and passionate talks about the dreaded topic. That being said, I refrain from expressing any sort of political view on social media. I like to talk about politics face-to-face with individuals, but I absolutely do not want to talk about it on social media. Things get very heated between individuals on social media, and I just find it not worth my time at all.
Come election night, I knew that social media was going to be heated. I knew supporters of both parties and those who did not support either party, would have a lot to say on multiple social media platforms. I knew, regardless of the outcome of the election, I was going to delete my social media off my phone for two or three days at least. I didn’t totally delete my accounts, I just deleted the apps off of my phone.
I went Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter free for three days. I deleted them on Tuesday night and got back onto them on Friday afternoon. I still have Facebook deleted off of my phone, and I will only get onto it on my computer for times that I want to post something for my family and friends.
Going social-media free as a 20-year-old college student is absolutely mind-boggling to some of my peers. I know some individuals who cannot even sit through a 50-minute class period without checking some form of social media. So many individuals only talk about certain things, including politics and the 2016 election, through social media. They talk all of this trash or spill out all of these “facts” that are not backed up with legitimate sources all on their social media for individuals to comment on and cause a fight. They do not take the time to talk about the issues face-to-face.
I deleted my social media post-election because I did not want to see what people had to say behind a screen. Individuals can say so much from a computer and then totally contradict themselves when it comes to real life. Social media is not real-life interaction. What is said on social media is out there forever, and even if one does delete something off their account, it does not mean it is deleted from the world forever. I knew that if I had my social media those few days after the election, I would have said something that I would have regret. I would have commented on something and later regretted it. I did not want to put myself into that situation.
I am not using this article to say who I was for or who I was against, and I also do not want to stir up any trouble. I just wanted to take this time to tell individuals why I deleted my social media accounts off my phone post-election. I want people to realize that what is said on social media, is out there for everyone to see and is out there forever. I want people to realize that they should not turn their social media accounts into a consistent rant. Instead have a face-to-face open discussion! It can be really scary to do, but it is important to have those conversations in person. Who knows you may benefit from hearing opinions different from your own and grow from the experience
Just one final reminder: do not have conversations about big topics such as politics on social media. The best conversations come from those in person, no matter how scary it may seem. Take that leap of faith, and have face-to-face interaction!
This is an opinion piece, if you wish to share your opinion please email xavier@hercampus.com to apply to be a writer. – HCXU