Freedom of speech is a very important issue in this country. The invention of the internet made the right to speak your mind a cultural phenomenon. Social media, smartphones, and blogs allow anyone to say basically anything they want. You can complain, criticize, and be opinionated about whatever you want. But to be frank, the majority of what people have to say is either insane, inappropriate or just irrelevant.
Personal websites and blogs have been around for a while, but not as frequent or regular as they are today. I mean, you are currently reading this on a blog right now! Blogs and personal websites used to be cute little things that wouldn’t be anything substantial (for the most part). As time went on it started to become easier to speak your mind on the internet. Things like LiveJournal came around and it become a normal thing to express your thoughts and opinions on a website. People would write about how their day went or how they were feeling. They would basically allow you to live vicariously through someone else’s life (or how they wanted everyone to perceive their lives). I’ll admit, I even had one for a bit. But after awhile, I realized an important thing... it didn’t matter.
Then came the ever so popular AOL Instant Messenger. You were a nobody if you didn’t have an AIM account. Away messages reading: “brb” or “gone 2 tha gym, cel’s good” were considered normal things to post (even though the whole point of AIM was to talk to people). They became the leading cause of headaches in my life because not only did they prove that the English language had been mutated into numbers and emoticons, but they were the beginning of people’s constant need for social attention.
Today we have Facebook and Twitter (among many others). The leading causes of false information and self pity. Spreading rumors and messing with people has never been easier! I do believe that there are huge benefits for social media. But the majority of people abuse them to play stupid games and whine about relationships. This is exactly why I am writing this article. Call me a hypocrite if you want, but this article is to complain about people complaining.
Then came the ever so popular AOL Instant Messenger. You were a nobody if you didn’t have an AIM account. Away messages reading: “brb” or “gone 2 tha gym, cel’s good” were considered normal things to post (even though the whole point of AIM was to talk to people). They became the leading cause of headaches in my life because not only did they prove that the English language had been mutated into numbers and emoticons, but they were the beginning of people’s constant need for social attention.
Today we have Facebook and Twitter (among many others). The leading causes of false information and self pity. Spreading rumors and messing with people has never been easier! I do believe that there are huge benefits for social media. But the majority of people abuse them to play stupid games and whine about relationships. This is exactly why I am writing this article. Call me a hypocrite if you want, but this article is to complain about people complaining.
We’ve all been in the situation where you are down in the dumps and feel like life is so unfair or that the world is against you. But preaching and complaining to Facebook is not going to change a thing. It’s just going to annoy people like me. Whenever I see these types of posts or tweets (pretty much daily) I just shake my head and realize how pathetic most of these people are. I understand the need for acceptance and sympathy, but people are using social networks as if they are a replacement for therapy or face to face conversations with others. Some of these people post their “problems” all day long! News flash, no one cares.
You might be asking me why I follow them on Twitter or still have them as Facebook friends. Well, even though they are slowly driving me insane with their constant groaning, I still am “friends” with most of these people. Also, because their complete reliance on social acceptance and insignificant relationship woes makes me feel better about myself and my life. I feel more mature than these people... and I watch Adventure Time. It’s not that I am making fun of these people. I’m sure venting to Facebook every so often definitely can relieve some stress. But when people are passive aggressively trying to insult or get an individual’s attention by typing sappy song lyrics or just being utterly emo in a status message, that’s when I have no hope for the future of social media or mankind.
You might be asking me why I follow them on Twitter or still have them as Facebook friends. Well, even though they are slowly driving me insane with their constant groaning, I still am “friends” with most of these people. Also, because their complete reliance on social acceptance and insignificant relationship woes makes me feel better about myself and my life. I feel more mature than these people... and I watch Adventure Time. It’s not that I am making fun of these people. I’m sure venting to Facebook every so often definitely can relieve some stress. But when people are passive aggressively trying to insult or get an individual’s attention by typing sappy song lyrics or just being utterly emo in a status message, that’s when I have no hope for the future of social media or mankind.
Basically what I’m saying is: nobody cares. No amount of self pity or attention-hogging via social media is going to significantly change your life. People on Reddit or Digg may seem like they have sympathy, but they probably don't... and they shouldn't. They don't know you outside of the digital realm and not to mention the only info they get is whatever you are feeding them (biased much?). Yeah you may be sad or you may want a way to tell everyone about something that people would otherwise not listen to you about, but figure it out. I mean, we got this far without having to digitally shove our troubles down everyone’s throats. Stop whining and get over it.
So next time stop and think before you tweet the horribly melancholy lyrics from a Dashboard Confessional or Taylor Swift song just because you’re lonely or "upset". Get off your lazy butt and do something about it, because the rest of us don’t feel sorry for you. You're welcome.
Written by: Kyle Cicilioni
So next time stop and think before you tweet the horribly melancholy lyrics from a Dashboard Confessional or Taylor Swift song just because you’re lonely or "upset". Get off your lazy butt and do something about it, because the rest of us don’t feel sorry for you. You're welcome.
Written by: Kyle Cicilioni
