Hiding behind a computer screen

Good friends are turned to practically enemies in the matter of the time it takes to refresh a webpage. She doesn’t like that her friend comes home from college to visit her boyfriend, instead of visiting her. Rather than simply confronting her about it individually, she posts a Facebook status. As she broadcasts her feelings to the world, the friendship crumbles. This public attack demeans the girl and sets fires to the bridges that took so long to build.

Are friendships really as meaningless and fragile as a status update or an indirect tweet? How can someone throw out years of friendship and loyalty over a small issue and an insignificant feud on Facebook? There is no justice in gaining a huge amount of confidence while using a keyboard and not a voice. Come out from behind the computer screen and confront problems as they are in real life, not in HTML.

With the overwhelming reliance on technology, there is a direct relation to the amount of real issues that are taken to the web. Passive people, who would normally not confront someone in person, surf the web and attack individuals. This makes people look cowardly and disrespectful. To not have the respect to address someone personally, and instead to the public is an insult in itself. Seeking attention through the amount of “likes” or “comments” received from a post does not give entitlement to bring down others for that sake.

Where does this increase in confidence come from? People take things said on the Internet lightly, as if they are not real life, while in fact they are weighed just as heavily as any other verbal comment. Consequences follow accordingly.

This so-called “keyboard confidence” is an immature trait and should be nipped at the root. Save your friendships, take a step out from behind your computer, and have a real discussion.