We’ve all come across instances like this, where we digitally stumble
upon two people engaged in blood-boiling disputes on Facebook or Twitter. We
picture them off in a dark room somewhere, teeth clenched, sweat beading their
brow, furiously hammering away on their keyboards… and we chuckle to ourselves.
Oftentimes it is people whom we don’t know, digital friends-of-friends;
we click on their profile picture(s), judge them silently and immediately,
laugh at their oxymoronic opinion, and move on.
You see, there is a nefariously fine line between
participating/engaging in a controversial exchange on social media and making
yourself look like a complete and utter clown… for the entire social network to
see.
On one hand it’s a good thing, because we are talking about
important societal issues – even if it means hearing opinions from people who
we think are bat-sh*t crazy.
On the other hand, perhaps these conversations are better
suited for the real world.
This brings me to today’s lesson; the ability to see someone
say something wrong (or counter to your opinion) and not say something about it
is an important social media skill to have –whether you’re a company or an
individual.
Think about it this way: you would look like a complete and
utter buffoon if you were attending a cocktail party and you suddenly broke out into a loud
argument over some hot-button topic, say gun control or abortion.
The jazz band would get irritated, you’d get stern looks
from your superiors, and in perhaps the cruelest twist of fortune of all: the
waiter delivering champagne would likely ignore you for the remainder of the
night.
Facebook is like the cocktail party of the social media
world. You show up, catch up, mingle a bit, hear some interesting stuff, share
some interesting stuff, then repeat.
My point is that if you’re looking for an argument, there
are spheres of the digital realm better suited to debates –maybe try an MMA
forum or something.
There is a time a place for everything… I think the Bible – the original Facebook – mentioned something about that. And it couldn’t be more relevant in this digital situation.
As English politician and man of wisdom Edward Gibbon once said, "I never make the mistake of arguing with people for whose opinions I have no respect."
