Beware of the Digital Dark Side

Emotions are part of being human and cannot be escaped even by the most disciplined Social Media Dark Sideamong us. Life happens at a consistent and unstoppable rate whether we’re ready for it or not and no matter how much we prepare ourselves, things often happen that demand an emotional response. The complexity in the human animal kicks in once an event happens and in the nano-seconds that follow, our complex minds filter the stimulus through all of our experience and training to form the proper thought response. To add a little chaos to the mix, the context of the event can have a profound effect on how we respond. Something as unpredictable as the weather can frame an event in an entirely different way.

There are those who react immediately to everything and we accept them as they are both in the real and virtual worlds but they are in the minority. The majority of us are quick to laugh, eager to share the good emotions but much more cautious about the negative ones. We tend to hide those less desirous emotions from all but our closest confidants if we are lucky enough to have any. Using such filters keeps us socially acceptable, employed, in business and generally protects us from our own darkness.

Enter Social Media. Here lies an outlet for all those negative emotions that is convenient, instantaneous and less intimidating than a face to face altercation. There are countless stories of people getting fired from their jobs for Facebook posts, Twitter rants and angry blogs. Relationships that take years to build can be destroyed in seconds.

There are times when outrage is justifiable. People and businesses often earn your rage. Expressing that outrage can be downright cathartic, but social media is not the place.

In social media there are no take-backs, no do-overs. Once it’s out there, it stays out there. Write your post in a word processor and stare at it for a while, write your tweet on a post-it and read it over for several minutes, let the moment pass before you shout your righteous indignation to the world.

Original Post from Develop Socially