There is this 70s song by Stealers Wheel that goes, “Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am, stuck in the middle with you” that proved to be quite a hit among the boomers of the day. Though its writers originally intended it as a parody on the music industry of that time, that same feeling invoked in the song; that of being helplessly stuck in some uncomfortable social setting, somehow captures so clearly what is one’s predicament in today’s social media. To prove this point, just try focusing on one random post and read through all the comments. As for me, I chose a video clip of one seemingly-innocent activity by a famous model. Truly, even now, jokers and clowns abound.
For those who might have experienced it for the first time, the colorful language plus the variety, levels and range of emotions that can be found in the comments only lead one to suggest one thing. The vastness of the social media landscape is actually a wild frontier! Never mind it as being a source of information. Another facet, as a venue where one’s confidence in speaking out is empowered without bounds, therein lies the problem. For many, this almost unlimited capability to express one’s self can oftentimes evolve into brashness. This is because, even as one can afford to be aggressive, there is never any confrontational, face-to-face interaction whatsoever during the whole engagement. In a sense, one is still protected and shielded by the very screen that you type from.
It is surprising, the scope by which anyone can employ such brash, short of being legally accountable, is not only wide-ranging, but open-ended as well, with sadly so many loop holes in between. This is why, as one lawyer notes, there still are only a few tried cyber cases related to such aggressive and rude behavior.
As it is, the feel of being ‘stuck in the middle’, being real as it is, is just treated as a mere part of the hazard that comes with swimming in the social media pool. As one prominent creator had said, if you cannot stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. However logical that may seem, there is still no excuse whatsoever for the proliferation of such atmosphere, as that has never been the original intention when the internet was first conceived. The internet nor social media, not a hexagon or a boxing ring. Those who believe so should be the ones to leave its ‘kitchen.’
