When will people learn?
The recent suspension of his campaign for the Sixth Congressional Seat in the United States House of Representatives by Ron Vogel should send a message to all users of social media. But, if all the gaffs by scores of prominent people didn't send a message to them in the past, perhaps this one won't either.
What you post online today could come back to haunt you or your family in the future. Use your head and think about what you are posting before you hit the enter key.
Comments and statements should be actionary not reactionary. What you first think of as funny today may become horrific next year. What you first think of as harmless today could become catastrophic next year. Don't be in a hurry to be the "first" to post a comment or response. Instead, take a moment, think about it, and post the best comment or response.
Being right is always better than being first – and wrong.
The "Twitterverse" is all abuzz about what the new owner, Elon Musk, may do to the online social media network – not what he will do. Once again, what he says he will do and what he can do may be two different goals. But that isn't stopping celebrity users from jumping ship, and self-absorbed "influencers" are now worried that they may not be able to influence anyone, anymore.
The world as we know it is doomed. Perhaps it was doomed when people started using social media as a tool for vengeance, spreading false information, gossip, meaningless blather, and hate. The need to be first, the most "liked", or the one with the most followers has often overshadowed the truth.
Or maybe it was doomed when gullible readers were sucked into the vacuum of believing the first thing they read. The old "If it's online it must be true" mentality.
There are people who take what is posted on Instagram or other social media platforms as the truth – the absolute truth. Folks, it is social media. Get over yourselves and seek additional sources of information and facts before you jump off the deep end.
How often do politicians and celebrities have to backtrack their posts with "years ago I posted some insensitive remarks and links? I apologize to anyone who was hurt by them. Those posts and statements do not represent who I am as a person."
You may not be that person now, but, apparently, you were then. Or, how do we know you're still not that person? That holds true for anyone posting their gibberish on social media and getting you to automatically believe it – hook, line and sinker.
Be responsible for what you share. You shouldn't just think of yourself, but of your current and, perhaps, future family as well. What you posted today is a part of what you will be defined as in the future.
Is that what you really want?