MARISSA BURR
Opinion Editor
Graphic by Saffron Larrea| Special to The Leader
Obviously I love hearing and sharing opinions; I would be a really crappy Opinion section editor if I didn’t. But lately, my social media feed has been pissing me off because I see people sharing their opinions and acting as though it is fact. What’s even worse is that ignorant people are taking these opinions as fact.
Every day I consider going on Facebook or X and ranting and giving my opinion on something that just happened to me — yet I restrain myself. Why? Because I know that some of my followers will take my vent too seriously. Instead, I’ve worked really hard to channel my frustration and passion into writing well-informed and thoroughly-edited articles. That way I know that the ideas I’m putting out into the world aren’t just filled with hate, anger or arrogance.
Everyone needs to start going through a similar thought process when sharing their opinion online.
This isn’t a conversation or a dinner party. When posting your opinions on social media you’re inviting the entire world to comment and scrutinize every word — and no, your privacy settings won’t protect you. Yet the gusto with which people are standing behind their posts, that they didn’t even spell check, is abhorrent.
Yes, we live in a country where we have freedom of speech and it has been argued in court that this extends to our right to post freely on social media. But you need to think about the consequences of your words. People may read something you post and without doing any further research, trust what you say as fact. I don’t know how we got to this point, but we’re here and need to be careful about what we share on social media.
What I like to do as a writer is type my perspective rant into a document. Then I reread it and take out anything that doesn’t add to my point or makes me sound ignorant. It’s a balance that’s hard to find as an opinion writer, because you still want your voice to shine through. However, I understand that my voice is that of an almost 22-year-old woman who is stubborn and (much to my dismay) isn’t always right.
In order to get people who initially don’t agree with you to see your side, it is important to acknowledge their side and the reasoning behind their opinions. For example, if I said that strawberry jelly is the best jelly to pair with peanut butter sandwiches, I would also want to mention how many people prefer grape because it is the more classic combo and tastes less sugary. I’d sound pretty stupid if I tried to convince someone that strawberry jelly is the best because I think so and lots of other people do too or else it wouldn’t be on grocery store shelves.
Yet, that’s how a lot of people sound on social media.
I understand that this is more of a problem with generations older than ours. They didn’t grow up with the internet being so prominent in their lives, so they’re going to use it differently than we as Gen Z’s and millennials do. Instead, they voiced complaints in person or through letters and phone calls. These messages had to be more thought out, and in turn, filtered. Now that they can voice opinions and get a response in minutes, they’ve discarded that editing process.
As a younger generation, we need to set a better example. Actually write well-thought-out, fact-based opinions if you’re going to turn to social media. This goes for personal posts as well as comments. People will try to argue, but it’s hard to debunk factual information gathered through thorough research.
If you want to make a bigger splash though — in the right way, not with rage bait — put pen to paper and write an article. You can submit it to The Leader or a local newspaper and ask for it to be published. It can be controversial or ruffle feathers, but if the institution has integrity, they will consider it.
I know what you’re thinking, and yes, this is a subtle pitch to write for The Leader, but you might be surprised at the effect your words can have once they’re in print. That’s why I love opinion writing so much, and I can’t wait to receive your work! Older generations are always suggesting that we read printed publications, so why not write for them as well and print your opinion for them to see clearly?