My thoughts on Social Media and Cyberbullying

Good morning, everyone, please bear with me as I share my lengthy post—I need to clarify my position; forgive any grammatical errors and average sentence structure.

In today's social media era, it's challenging to see how people seek to undermine others due to differing beliefs or insults. This can be termed cyber harassment or a mob mentality online.

As a moderator for a few HR groups on Facebook, I've witnessed a lot of disputes among HR and non-HR individuals. It's part of my duty to maintain order amidst the chaos of replies in a thread. Occasionally, I take positions that differ from others' recommendations, but I'm careful not to offend unless provoked first. And yes, I sometimes adopt a "holier than thou" attitude if necessary.

Recently, someone shared a thread condemning a co-moderator. Admittedly, it wasn't good, but I realized it didn't tell the whole story (only fragments were shown, distorting the situation against the moderator in question). What really upset me was the claim that we are preventing Managers from joining the group.

I took a break from the forum last year (to prepare for the Sunlife Aquathlon and to unwind from social media), so making such a sweeping statement really ... (fill in the blanks here). The comment was excessive, if not exaggerated, to escalate the issue.

My point? We often side with the so-called underdogs without considering other perspectives. Sharing only parts of a story isn't right—it's one-sided.

By doing so, you're denying someone the opportunity to defend themselves against the narrative you're spreading on social media. We lack the maturity to listen because we immediately sympathize without bothering to ask or understand the full story. The prevalent mindset today is to act first and question later.

The reality is that disagreements are common—respecting opposing views shows maturity. Take the time to listen before adopting any "holier than thou" stance. We must always agree to disagree.

Apologies for being long-winded, but I felt it necessary to express this directly. I realize some may not appreciate what I've said, but I'd rather address the issue now than dwell on it.

(Note: This was initially posted on Facebook and LinkedIn. Since then, I've stepped down from my moderator role in two Facebook HR Groups and taken a break from Facebook, not out of fear, but because I no longer feel safe expressing my opinions on HR matters).