Picture a room where two groups of people stand on opposing sides. They face each other, screaming opinions at the top of their lungs. There is urgency, passion, anger, and confusion. Every so often, people on one side turn to give a brief high five of approval to those who stand around them, but they do not pause long enough to stop yelling and converse. They feel a sense of camaraderie and gusto knowing that those around them are yelling at a “common enemy.” Frequent phrases include: “We are right.” “I know truth.” “My opinion matters.” “That is wrong.” “They are stupid.” “They are evil.”
There are no pauses in the noise. No one on either side of the room ever stops to be quiet, to listen, to dialogue, to understand. A few people sit in the middle, in the rift between sides. They sit with their hands over their ears or their arms over their head…overwhelmed, caught in the crossfire, and confused. They do not often lift their voices, and when they do, they are drowned out by the overwhelming cacophony of sounds being hurdled from both sides.
The longer this continues, the louder and hotter the room becomes. The words change, and the attitude becomes harsher and more urgent. Again, no one stops, no one listens, no one wants to hear. The words morph and fade until nothing but noise is left. No one is heard anymore, even by those standing directly on either side. No voices can be distinguished amidst the crowd. Instead, reason, understanding, emotions, and truth are drowned out by noise. As the words begin to disappear, the people do as well. Their faces blur, and their uniqueness dissolves into a blob, a mob, of noise. Soon, these figures are gone. Nothing but noise remains.
Noise. This is what social media has become in the hot-bed of political and social issues in which we are living. It has become a place where everyone feels the need to voice and opinion and take a side, but no one is willing to listen, to dialogue, or to pause. Nothing stands on its own; instead, everything must be the antithesis, the opponent, the opposite of something else. Amidst the noise of shared posts, status updates, likes, and comments, social media has become a polarized digital world of shouting aimlessly at an imagined “common enemy.” It has become a digital pressure cooker of unintelligent, ill-informed, and half-hearted opinions that morph into impassioned and close-minded beliefs. People and all of their uniqueness have faded away. Everything that sets humans apart: intellect, compassion, understanding, pondering, empathy, are nowhere to be found in this digital war zone. Instead, it is only meaningless noise and faceless figures.
I’m not sure anything has ever been more dangerous. We must find a better way, a better path, a more careful, civil, and responsible way to use this tool. We must pause. Listen. Be quiet. Seek understanding. Have empathy.
Imagine this room again. Slowly, but surely, one by one, people shut their mouths. Timidly, they cross the room. They look their former “enemies” in the eyes and say, “Help me understand how you feel. Help me see where you are coming from.” As the “enemy” talks, his opponent maintains eye contact. He listens humbly, and though he may disagree, he does not allow himself to ponder or prepare a rebuttal. He lets down his guard and refuses to be offended. As he listens, the room begins to quiet, the noise fades away, and his former “enemy’s” face gradually comes into focus. His uniqueness shines forth, and the two, while still holding very different view points, begin to find some commonality. The former “enemy” then quiets and says to the figure before him: “Thank you for listening. Now, tell me how you feel.” As this dialogue continues, the noise fades completely away. Ideas are heard, opinions are expressed, commonality is found, and people are seen, heard, and felt. Humanity comes back into focus, progress is accomplished, and peace is achieved.
An Appleton a Day 