With still more than a year to go before the next Presidential election, already I'm beginning to see posts, memes, and comments on social media regarding the possible candidates. My memories are stirred of the last election (2012) and how weary I became of the constant political dribble streaming down my Facebook wall. Roughly 85% of my “friends” on social media embrace an opposite political perspective from mine, so yes, as the election grew nearer, it became increasingly annoying to see all the negative posts and comments about the candidate I respected, supported, and admired.
For the most part, I simply scrolled down and rode out the storm, though I will admit to “blocking” (not deleting) a handful of folks whose daily posts were too scathingly vicious to tolerate. So the question is, what crosses the line of acceptability? Is there a line? How much politics on social media is too much? On the other hand, I saw a post yesterday that said, “You say you're tired of my political posts. Okay, I'll go back to sharing important stuff like what I had for dinner and when I went to the grocery store.”
I can see that side too. If we want to engage in meaningful dialog, we have to be willing to listen to opposing viewpoints on controversial issues. The key, I think, is respect. It's absolutely possible to support a political position or candidate respectfully, even on social media. It's just that not everyone does that. Social media seems to be the perfect forum to spread hatred. Time will tell how I'll respond to the hoopla as the 2016 Presidential election season gains momentum.
What about you? How do you feel about political posts/memes on social media. Do you participate? Do you block those friends who disagree with you or just scroll down?
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