You are what you eat and read and watch
I have been trying for several weeks to figure out how to write an article about social media and still make it a positive article. I had thought about it a lot but was not having any success until my wife and I had a conversation in the car on the way back from the dentist. Our dentist happens to be my brother-in-law in New Philadelphia, Ohio, so we have about 90 minutes both ways to chat. I would also be remiss if I did not say the 90 minute drive is well worth it, he is a fabulous dentist.
As Nikki and I chatted, I shared my struggle with how to address this issue and she likened it to food. Everything you put in your body effects your body. Similarly, every piece of content that we consume effects our minds.
Approaching 60, I obviously grew up prior to cell phones and social media. Social media happened at the town park after dinner when all the local kids would congregate and hang out. We didn’t communicate 24/7 like today. If you needed to tell somebody something, you hopped on your bike and road to their house.
Our parents could protect us from things we didn’t need to see by shutting the TV off. When you talked on the phone, everyone in the house could hear you, and the only privacy was the measured by the length of your phone cord. Things are much different today.
Today, people seem to be fascinated by watching other people do ridiculous, inappropriate, disrespectful, and crazy things. This stream of content seems unending. Similar to reality TV that glorifies poor behavior and disrespect of others, these endless social media channels give a venue and audience for people that would have never been part of our world in the past. This content is being privately consumed by our children without any sort of supervision or censorship.
So you are probably wondering where the “positive” is in this blog. Here it comes. Think of your mental health the same way you think of your physical health. Garbage in = Garbage out. We need to focus on putting positive content in our minds, the same as we focus on putting healthy foods into our bodies. Imagine how the world would be better if we spent the same amount of time contributing something positive to our lives as we do consuming useless content.
I worry about our children accepting the behavior and messaging they see as acceptable and appropriate. I don’t want them to lose faith in people. I want them to expect more of others and themselves. So, I challenge everyone to be wise of the content you introduce to your minds, thoughts, and attitudes. Take as much care of your mental health as you do your physical health.
Consuming negative content is, in essence, an endorsement of that content. We perpetuate the creation of such content by engaging with it. Fill your minds and hearts with positive content. Share content that enriches lives, educates readers, and makes a positive addition to the world. Let’s change the narrative.