Whiskey Myers is an outstanding band that has a wide range of songs from rock down to soft ballads. If you appreciate music that has words which mean something and melodies that can carry you away, this is the band for you. There is one song of theirs that always gets to the point and the words are an honest reflection of the real world. Glitter Ain’t Gold. One portion of the song goes, “Ain’t a show man I practice what I preach”. If we all lived our lives like that, it would be a whole different world.
When you listen to music and it touches you or helps put the world into perspective, that is meaningful. That is good music. It is interesting that art will mimic life or even help explain what is going on in the real world. If we take this song and compare it to the real world, social media comes to mind. Mainly because social media is not real life. Just like in the song from Whiskey Myers, Glitter Ain’t Gold.
100 years from now historians will arguably say, “Social Media was the downfall of western civilization.” We can all point to examples where social media has been misinterpreted, misunderstood, hid facts, and basically lied. When you post a story about how wonderful you are and how blessed your family is, there is no fact check for that statement. Now, some people post some of the stupidest thoughts, ideas, and beliefs. We know they are crazy and everything they post is a lie. They prove that by telling us they voted for the Democrats in this last Presidential election.
The disturbing thing about social media is how it is used against people. Now, if you rob a store or physically harm another person and brag about it on social media, you deserve to have the book thrown at you in court. The other side of that is, we still live in a free society. Free speech still exists. A potential employer can deny you a job based on you posting a view they disagree with online. It can be perceived as anti whatever they are offended by today. Colleges can monitor your social media activity and claim it is for the safety of others. It can even prevent your kid from getting a scholarship.
People should be able to post anything they want, as long as there is no nudity or causing physical harm to another person. It is no one’s business what you post. It is not the business of your employer, potential employer, or even scholarship judge. The reason is social media is not real. People post only what they want you to see online. If you judge someone on their social media posts, you will think they are all sinners or saints. No in between. We all know that is not true. I use my social media to hopefully give good vibes, thoughts, help people that are down, or just make people laugh. I love to share about my travels with my dad and my dog. Social media, though, does not tell you the whole story or who I am in real life.
To get a good perspective on a person, who they are, what they stand for, you must speak with them in person. You must have a conversation about their life, goals, achievements, and struggles. That person-to-person conversation should tell you more about an individual than any social media post. There is a time in my life where I am glad social media didn't exist - back when you could not post photos, or videos. There are parts of everyone’s life that we do not want shared for the world to see. On the flip side, we cannot account for kids, young adults, or the uninformed for something they post that you might not like.
The reaction to social media is your feelings. It is your belief that judges others simply by what they post. Something harmless to one person, may be blasphemy to another. The reason this matters is because you are playing with people’s livelihoods. Whether it is for a new job, a promotion, or a scholarship for college. I have reviewed numerous scholarship applications, written letters of recommendations, and interviewed people for jobs. There is one thing that I know to be true, social media ain’t gold. What we see online is only a glimpse of that person.
For those that want to make a difference in this world and make it a better place, take those young men and women who practice what they preach. Take them under your wing and teach them a few social skills and the art of negotiation. Then turn them loose to rule the world. What most people do not realize is, many self-made individuals were the class clowns, the kids not at the top of their class, or the ones that are always doing stuff you think is stupid. Just because they post about riding side by side ATV’s all weekend and drinking with their friends, does not mean they are not hustlers the other days of the week. The reason is, not everything you see glitter and shine on the internet is gold.
“Neighbors judge from their front porch, right behind the door their whole home’s a mess.” – John Jeffers – Whiskey Myers
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