Like Being Between a Rock and Hard Place — How I Save My Sanity Online
As a social justice activist, I initially accepted new friend requests from most people due to wanting to connect with like-minded others in America and across the globe. When I first signed up for Facebook, I both accepted random inquiries and sent occasional friend requests to people whose comments seemed aligned with important aspects of my anti-racism efforts. I’ve since had to make major adjustments. Over time, being bombarded with hostile people calling me names due to their anger about something I wrote, resulted in me exploring how to limit exposure to unwanted communication. It’s one thing if someone wants to dispute something I said, but far too often their tone of disagreement can lean toward disrespectful or abusive approaches.
I consider the benefits and drawbacks of online connections by seeking reasonable balance and managing my engagement by taking regular breaks for self-care. I know that it can be hard to avoid some conflicts and tolerate other things. It can feel like being between a rock and hard place at times in terms of deciding whether to stay or go by removing myself from online activities. I would miss out on a lot, especially now during a pandemic when connections are mostly virtual in order to reduce the spread of coronavirus. I also love being exposed to new information, being able to learn from…
