Social media may be the best and worst thing that ever happened to humanity.
The ability to share information instantly across long distances is incredible. Families can stay connected despite living hundreds of miles apart. We can keep up with old friends, watch grandchildren grow, find people we thought we had lost, and learn about major events while they are still happening.
That part is fantastic.
Then the keyboard warriors showed up.
Give someone a screen, a username, and a little physical distance, and suddenly they will say things they would never have the guts to say while standing across from another human being. Every disagreement becomes a battle. Every rumor becomes a fact. Every half-baked opinion must be broadcast as if Moses brought it down from the mountain on a stone tablet.
Some people no longer post to communicate. They post to provoke. They share horseshit they have not bothered to verify, attack anyone who questions it, and do everything possible to keep people angry. Being informed is no longer the objective. Making sure your side stays furious at the other side is.
The platforms know anger keeps people clicking, commenting, and coming back for more. But we cannot blame an algorithm for everything. At some point, grown adults have to take responsibility for what they type and how they treat other people.
Social media gave humanity the ability to speak to almost anyone, almost anywhere, at almost any time.
Naturally, we used it to scream at strangers.