The Death of Conversation

In the social media age, the importance of a healthy conversation is lost.

Why does it become so difficult to express?

Most people suffer from the idea that people don’t “really” understand them. Yet the only cure for that remains is to express.

Even so the ability to express finds ways to stay inhibited. There are times when exhaustion and helplessness are bred by this disability. It becomes tiring to be expressive, weighed by the burden of opinion.

Putting layers and layers of thought on what you wish to express and then analyzing what people might bite out of it becomes a task.

The judgment of language or the fear of putting what you said out of context. Putting twists to your words to fit it into people’s own narrative. Your words become a bridge for their own vendettas. It all starts manifesting a fear of expression itself. How they may "perceive" what you're trying to express becomes a question that starts eating you up.

If you don’t keep up with the ever changing social rules an easy twist can make you a villain in the blink of an eye. It ends up becoming a battle where you're left justifying what you were trying to say. It all starts sounding like excuses for you trying to cover up your nefarious thoughts.

Online there is a fear of misspellings or using wrong grammar that exposes the incapability for holding an opinion instantly turning you into an inferior person if you're not perfect in your expression.

A different level of creative potential is unlocked when people are out to insult someone.

The ego narrowing our vision and making us selective in what we see. We lose the ability to identify the differences in perception and fail to see the bigger picture.

The death of healthy conversation and narrowing of perspective is one of the consequences of social media.

Consumed in our own world we forget about compassion. We find books on it, hear a million speeches screaming you to be compassionate. But is it easy to find it in people who are set out to satisfy their egos hiding behind masks that today’s technology gives them?

What to do when you meet trolls or idiots that just like argument?

Here's a few points:

1. Learn to differentiate between a troll and a genuine conversation starter. Don’t be too quick to judge. Sometimes you gain a critical insight from a single comment. Ask yourself why the person said what he said.

2. Ask a lot of questions. Sometimes people see the folly in their thoughts when the right questions are asked.

3. Keep an open mind. If you find someone making logical arguments then acknowledge them and ask them to elaborate on their thought.

4. Ignore. Sometimes people see the comment for what it is, a troll. Ignoring takes away the power of the comment. When you don’t engage with his comment you deny him the satisfaction. Although if it is persistent, take action.

5. Delete the comment. Simply remove the comment from the feed without engaging with it. It can’t hurt if it isn’t there.

6. Unfriend or remove from your connections. This way the troll won’t be able to see if you post new content. You don’t need unnecessary negativity around you.

7. Block. This is harsh but if the person keeps finding ways to cause trouble. Block him/her.

8. Sometimes they might not write to you on a public forum and might directly message you. Don’t be afraid to expose them if they’re enjoying making you uncomfortable.

What are the things that stop you from expressing?

How can we battle this disease?

Do share your thoughts in the comments!