Perils of Social Media Engagement

I read an interesting article with the title 'Perils of Social Media Engagement' signed by Stuart Aken. With his consent, we took part of this article.


Okay, I shouldn’t have done it. I know. But, sometimes, my passion for an issue overcomes my internal common-sense policeman and I get involved.
A short while ago, I posted a Tweet relating to Climate Change, an issue dear to my heart long before I joined Greenpeace in the 1980s. It reached some deniers on Twitter; I received a number of responses and, not surprisingly, a few insults from that particular group of nay-sayers.
And I responded.
I know.
I should’ve let them get on with their fear-driven tirades; ignored them. But, buried deep within me dwells an eagerness to employ reason, and I allowed it out for a few moments. I answered their objections to my post more in hope than expectation. The process grabbed my attention for longer than intended, resulting in numerous arguments and counter-arguments. I must’ve spent a good two hours in the involvement.
And that, really, is the point of this post. As writers, we’re often passionate about any number of issues. My own list includes the environment, injustice, organised religion, inequality, the current Brexit chaos in UK, and politics, among others. I generally address one or more of these in my stories, as most of us do, tackling themes that fire our spirits and motivate our writing. In short, expressing our opinions via characters and themes.
But it’s a mistake to get involved with such issues on social media.
  http://stuartaken.net/