You know what Thumper’s mom said: If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.

For years I have seen the adverse effects that social media has on our lives. From the start of it all from Myspace, to the glorious Facebook we have today, there’s been internet trolls scouring the internet, searching for people to prey on. And those internet trolls SUCK….

I think we all need a daily reminder to be kind to one another. Social media is a beast, and it’s hard to pick up social cues just by what we read. It’s hard to hear frustration and not anger. Sarcasm and not someone just being cruel. We don’t always know what that other person is going through and what we say can really effect others. It doesn’t take much to tear someone down. It’s easy to get frustrated with what we see online. It’s easy to talk trash about someone else behind their backs when you don’t truly know them (I’m guilty, and I’ll very the first to admit it.) It’s too easy to get sucked into being an internet troll.

It’s human nature to get jealous, to want something someone else has, and to lash out when things don’t go your way, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Sometimes, all it takes is to think about what you are posting, or sharing, or commenting on someone else’s post. It might help you feel a little better about yourself if you post something rude to someone who’s doing something great, but it won’t long term. So this week, let’s take a second to think. Think about how what you do or say might make someone else feel. Think about it from their point a view, and we might all be a little better off.