Report by Paula Antolini, June 20, 2019, 8:36AM EDT
OPINION / LETTER TO THE EDITOR
If it wasn’t for the casual comment of a friend, I might never have realized the following: It’s not Trump, perceived racism, the economic divide, nativism, Democrats, Republicans, the Russians we should blame for the rancorous state of our legislative bodies, the polarization of our population, the unraveling of basic norms and “niceties”. IT’S SOCIAL MEDIA. A misnomer if ever there was one.
Social Media. Media that’s anything but “social”. Media that enables, no
encourages all people to carry on. And on. And on. . .???
By “all people” I mean anyone who has access to a keyboard which is just
about everyone. Everyone with an axe to grind, that is.
Because we’re not satisfied merely distancing ourselves from those we
view as “distasteful”. “Different”. “Difficult”. It’s more fun to denigrate, defame, destroy. Using cute, light-as-a-feather “handhelds” designed to connect us. Once upon a time. That now exact a heavy toll on our increasingly fragmented society.
The result of all this “socializing”? Anti-social media is becoming more
addictive, more deadly than any opioid on the market. Because these once
thrilling gizmos ‘n’ gadgets have devolved into drugs themselves. Drugs
that provide instant gratification our well-being now demands. Drugs, social consequences aside, we can’t get off/turn off.
Drugs that make “taking on” our neighbor (under cover of darkness)
a real “turn on”.
Frances Pulle
Bethel, CT
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