Social Media: Why Do Some People Resort To Slander When They Use Social Media?

When it came to who one would talk to in the past, it would have generally related to the people they knew. This probably would have been their friends and family, and the people who they came into contact with in their day-to-day life.

In addition to this, there could have been the people who called them up in order to try and sell them something. Other than that, those they spoke to on the phone would have typically been people they had spoken to in person.

It’s All Changed

However, in today’s world it can be normal for one to speak to people they don’t know, and this can take place without talking to someone over the phone or being around anyone. This is due to what they can do on social media.

Not only can they have ‘friends’ who they haven’t met before, there will also be millions of people who they can engage with who are not their ‘friends’. And, in a lot of cases, one will never meet these people in the real world.

Anonymous

This can come down to the fact that they live on the other side of the planet, and so it could be highly unlikely that their paths will ever cross. Yet, the same could also be said even if they were to live in the same country.

What can also play a here is if the people they talk don’t show their face, and it is then not going to matter where they live. One could then be talking to someone who is the same room as them and they wouldn’t know.

Growth

As result of being able to speak to people from all over the world, it could be seen as a great way for them to expand their own mind. This is not to say that one can only learn through sharing their views, as this is not the case.

The only thing that they need to do is to read other peoples comments, and this will give them the chance to see what other people’s views are. Now, if one was to treat people in a respectful manner in the real world, they could have the same approach online.

A Civil Conversation

Therefore, whether they talk to people they know or to people they don’t know, they are not going to have the need to put them down. This doesn’t mean that they will agree with everything they read; what it means is that they will see that the other person is a fellow human being.

When they don’t agree with what has been said, they could state their opinion, or they could simply move on. One could realise that even if they were to prove what someone has said is not accurate, it doesn’t mean that they will accept this.

Evidence

It would be easy to believe that once someone has been shown the reason why their perspective is not accurate that they would change their mind. This sounds logical, but this is rarely how life works.

Ultimately, human beings are emotional beings, and this is why their mind can end up being put to one side. What is taking place at an emotional level is then going to define their behaviour.

A Waste of Time

On a number of occasions, they may have spoken to someone online who was too caught up in their emotions to accept new information. It would then have been better for them to move on and to use their time to do something more productive.

And what would have caused them to believe that someone was too emotional would have been how they responded. This could have been a time when they started to call them names, or to label them in some way.

Behind A Screen

If someone was to behave in this way online, it could be how they behave in the real world. As a result of this, social media won’t have had much of an effect on their behaviour; if anything, it has given them a bigger platform.

At the same time, how someone behaves online could be radically different to what they are like offline. Through being at a safe distance from others, another side of them ends up being revealed.

An Analogy

How they respond to what someone else has said is then going to be similar to what happens when a sports team is unable to accept defeat. Instead of being able to see that is it only game, they can end up attacking the other team.

It has then gone from being a time when two teams were putting their sporting ability to the test, to a time when one team has taken it personally. Sportsmanship has gone out the window, and one team’s primitive nature has come to the fore.

Slander

When this happens on social media, what they talk about will drop from the level of intellectual discussion, and move into the realm of personal attack. It is then going to be irrelevant as to what the topic is, as they will do everything they can to tarnish the other persons image.

Out of Control

What this can show is that is it not possible for them to regulate their emotions, and this is why they are unable to behave in a civilised manner. Their emotions are in control of them and it is not possible for them to think clearly.

One could even believe that other people are in control of how they feel, and they could then see their behaviour as being justified. Either way, trying to destroy someone’s image will be a way for them to settle themselves down.

Conclusion

If one was to come across someone like this, it might be best for them to simply move on from the conversation. Trying to get through to them could be waste of time, and it will be better for them to use their time and energy in a more productive way.

Having said that, this can all depend on what is being said about them and the amount of exposure that it receives. In some cases, it might be necessary for them to seek out the right legal support.