Social Responsibility
When the web allows for anonymity amongst our community and peers, do we use less tact and mannerism in our criticism? At what point do we lose moral conscious of our responsibility with the power of the tongue and the implications it could cause to another, to a family, to a household, to a corporation, to the world? What calamity do we bring upon our own heads in meddling in ridicule of others and when was the mallet handed to us to rule a verdict? Is our time not better utilized learning about our lives and the external environments we inhabit so that we may have an impact for the future and the legacy that will precede us? I am not talking about a sensitive culture that can't ingest criticism or be original in thoughts and interject as a result but instead, with the respect of evolution and our part in its change. Should we not applaud original ideas and ignore the ignorant? Just as a child learns to divide, rule and manipulate a system, we can choose to encourage the weak or applaud the strong. It is disheartening to see the medium that could be used as a tool to transform the future of our lives as a public format to emasculate ones one sense of self, thoughts or creative talents. We all have a responsibility in how we communicate and the messages we want to be conveyed. Let us not allow the social mediascapes to become a podium of public display for exploiting someone else or ourselves. It is one thing to be vulnerable in a private space or by will done without agenda to embarrass the catalyst through emotional volatility. As this next generation really inhabits the future of our community, let us all take a responsibility to accept and govern the world without losing moral and values. While generation Y and Z are incumbent of shaping tomorrow, we still lead by example in a world that is governed by intangible and invisible precedents that can't be measured by a concrete since of existence.
I am sick to death of seeing Single to In a Relationship to Single to It is Complicated to Married. Where has the commitment of our society evolved? As a whole, we lack substance and the spine to do the work, bailing on anything that makes us uncomfortable at our so predisposed ability to choose with instant gratification for something that FEELS better. When we will heed impulsive behavior and stop glorifying the monster of ME? For the greatest amount of time, I have scoffed at the idea of social networks as mass media, claiming they destroy our moral, value and ability to relate; isolating us behind a lens or keyboard as an expression of feelings without the risk of rejection. Recently, I have adapted a new perspective with learning the beast of this unchanging truth through Dr. Michael Wesch's research. This is the innovative and undeniable skin of our future and I have finally grasped the reality that I must accept change and get on board before I become like so many people, debilitated and unable to exist in an economy that simply, passed them by. However, I am not without belief that as our abilities have become less governed by the resources so readily accessible at the convenience of a click. As individuals shaping tomorrow we must realize the implications of each word, entry, letter, expression, intention, agenda, blog, picture, tweet, song, image, email, choice of status, declaration and broadcast for the signals that are changing and shaping the culture in which we live and will leave behind. Our footprint is beyond carbon. I believe it has transformed to a psychological warfare that could implode if not careful of the velocity we steady ourselves today. While we reside in a democracy, each of us should self-govern our emotions and how we choose to relay them daily. A bad day is fine but a public display for bashing your boyfriend, boss, coworker, spouse, etc. has and always will be juvenile. As our world evolves, so should we. Let us all avoid regression to our elementary ways of communication and choose wisely what and how we want to sow in the present for the future of our all our tomorrows.
This is a quote I came across when I was 17 in 1997 that will stay with me for a lifetime.
The words "I am...." are potent words; be careful what you hitch them to. The thing you're claiming has a way of reaching back and claiming you. - A.L. Kitselman