Social Media has become a significant part of my daily life. I follow it. I strategize about it. I contribute to it. And it’s taught me a few great life lessons that I take with me now in any conversation and interaction whether digital, or (gasp) real-life. Today I’d like to share with you my recent revelations on how social media has shaped my speech and words.
Consider your words
Your words are important. I’ve been taught my whole life that my words are important and to be careful about what you say. That includes complaining, gossip, and words of anger. Somehow though, social media makes me consider this more. I have to think a little about how I’m going to word something and take the time to type it out. People judge you by what you say, and how you say it. With as connected as people are with social media, words can build up or hurt just as much online as they can in person.
Your words are public:
What you post is huge when you are putting words out on the WORLD-WIDE-web. I suppose the weight of that forces me to have a few extra seconds to ponder my decisions. Even bigger than that, the concept that what I put out there is for everyone to see is an even bigger responsibility. Potentially, ANYONE could see what I post – good, bad, and ugly. Therefore, I need to be careful about what I say. Knowing that someone is watching helps hold me in a higher check of myself.
Positivity:
I’ve always tried to be positive when I post. No one wants to hear my complaints or gripe about the world. No one wants to hear my political rants. Social media has always been a place where I want to share the positive, fun things going on in my life and my business. That translates into my clients’ positive news too! Now, don’t get me wrong. My life is not all flowers and sunshine all the time, and there are times when I’ve shared some hard news. The motive to share these “negative” things is to invite people into my life and to promote genuine community with those in my social circle.
Why does it take something like social media to teach me and remind me about how careful I need to be about my words? I successfully lived a few decades without tweets, posts, and likes. I needed to check my words and attitudes then, just as much as I do now. I suppose I’m just grateful for this social world for forming me into a better person one post at a time.
-valerie
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