Who remembers the good ole days of MySpace and the original Facebook?!? Light, bright, and sometimes with a soundtrack (ahh MySpace). It was actually FUN back in the beginning. Personally, I regret some of my original posts: drunken photos, public arguments with boyfriends and/or friends, etc. Regardless of the cringe worthy posts, it was carefree and an outlet for connecting. Fast forward 14 years (gah I feel old) and while we have more platforms to connect on (hello Instagram and Twitter), it’s not really fun anymore. It feels like the friends on my feed are all yelling at me and the posts all feel like propaganda.
The first time social media felt overwhelming was back in 2016. I will give you one big guess as to why. It was very exciting that so many people (especially younger generations) took an interest in politics. However, it felt exhausting to log into my social media accounts. Yelling from both sides. Yes, sometimes black and white print can come off as yelling. It was stressful! I just wanted to see current pictures of my college friends’ kids, but instead, the majority of my “friends” suddenly were experts on fiscal and social issues. What happened to the days of leaving religion and politics off the table?! Both were all over my newsfeed.
Four years later, I expected my social media to be similar, but it’s actually even worse due to everything related to COVID. All of a sudden all of my “friends” are suddenly experts on both politics AND health issues. Y’all the school debates …. I just can’t. More yelling and propaganda from both sides. Unfortunately, I feel like there are so many dynamics to COVID that the chatter is even worse. Also, it feels judgmental now. People are using posts as passive aggressive ways to pass judgement on others with differing opinions. It gives me anxiety. The charts, the long paragraphs of rants, the shared statistics that individuals are posting (not actual government officials) … it’s all SO MUCH. Yes, it is free speech and it is wonderful that people can express themselves. However, it feels really preachy to me.
Real life is heavy enough. I have my own stress and worries for my family. If I want more stress, I can watch the news. Social media is supposed to be a form of entertainment. An outlet for me to read a funny meme about motherhood as I’m hiding in my closet to get 5 minutes of peace from my kids. No, I won’t just walk away. I enjoy seeing one of my closest friend’s baby pictures she is posting from Brooklyn. Also, I like seeing where everyone is going on vacation and what their resorts look like. I want to read informative articles on topics relevant to me on pages such as New Orleans Mom. To be completely honest, it is kind of a hobby for me. It brings me joy; it just makes me sad when it gets combative.
I see that Nola Mom’s Blog is trying earnestly to hold honest conversations about race. It’s a great start. However, this post takes away from that work as it is filled with white fragility and encourages white moms to retract from engaging in uncomfortable content. The butterflies and lightheartedness that you are yearning for is exactly why many are just waking up to see the injustices. This post is tone deaf and its author should reconsider her stance and do the work needed to amplify the other thoughtful content shared here.