How many times have you seen a riling image, Facebook post or video clip come across your screen that made you so angry you could have jumped out of your skin? How many times, in the heat of the moment, did you want to press forward so that everyone in your network -- heck, in the world -- could join you in your outrage? I agree that it is tempting, especially given the lightning-quick speed of the internet and the global ripple effect of social media.
But it is more important than ever that you hit pause first.
Why?
There is an old adage that one should ensure that the brain is in gear before engaging the mouth.
Chances are you grew up hearing some form of this maxim. My friend, whose father was a mechanic in Brooklyn, saw it every day on a plaque that hung on the wall of her 1970s-era childhood kitchen.
Fast-forward forty years to the present day -- a time in history when each of us, no matter our background, income level or education, suddenly has the ability to harness the power of the internet to drive the conversation on a global scale. That power can be breathtaking. This week, a major airline’s stock and reputation took a nose dive in response to a passenger’s video that went viral. Earlier this year, protests erupted in cities across America. And during the Arab Spring, authoritarian governments that had been in power for decades were forced out.
But with great power also comes great risk. The same tool that spread valuable information famously shattered a young woman’s life overnight, contributed to a college freshman’s decision to take his own life, and spread false and misleading information masquerading as news about public figures during a national election cycle.
Most of us can agree that we would prefer to be productive, rather than destructive, contributors to the larger conversation. Here are three steps you can take to ensure that you are.
1. Stop and think. When your adrenaline is coursing, it should be a signal to you that in all likelihood, this is not the right time to press send. A few years ago, a PTA mom I knew began an email to the community on a hot-button issue with the statement, “As I sit down to write this, my hands are shaking.” It should have been a surefire signal to her (as it was to the rest of us) that she should have waited until her hands had stopped shaking to send her email. Had she taken a period of reflection prior to sending her missive to hundreds of people, who forwarded it to hundreds more, she would have given herself time to think critically about her position and the opposing point of view, and to wordsmith in a thoughtful manner. This would have strengthened her position in the long run.
2. Don’t allow yourself to be sucked into an online herd mentality or cyberbullying. With all the provocative posts that come across our screens, it’s easy to be sucked in. Strive to be an independent and deliberate thinker. Instead of forwarding or liking posts indiscriminately, choose carefully. Do your research, including checking reputable news outlets, which utilize fact checkers, for coverage of the issue. Do not to allow yourself to become a virtual bystander -- or worse, an aggressor.
3. In your online posts, honor the Constitution’s presumption of innocence and guarantees of due process and a fair trial, which are founding principles of our country. Each person and corporation has the right to a full and fair vetting of all the facts before a verdict is reached, and the right to be presumed innocent until that vetting can occur. With videos, which by their nature begin and end at arbitrary moments, it is wise to remember these principles before quickly staking a position.
The next time you feel the urgent need to press send, stop and take a deep breath. Or two.
Or fifty.
As Jennifer Lerner, professor of public policy and management at Harvard, said in an article in The Atlantic, “Anger gets you in the game, but once you’re in the game, you need to think.”
If after a cooling-off period, you still believe that pressing send is the right thing to do, then by all means do it, and become a meaningful part of the virtual conversation.
Good advice for our high-speed times.