“We write to be heard.
We write to heal.” 
Mitta Xinindlu

Prior to the creation of Facebook, a platform called MySpace was the go-to social media site. The concept of social media was relatively new at the time. Xanga preceded MySpace, but back in those days, I had little knowledge of, and absolutely no interest in social media. I learned of the existence of this new form of communication from my kids and my students. From the very start, I realized that social media could be either positive or dangerously negative.

As the popularity of Facebook increased, even among adults, I saw no use for such a site for myself. Social media was for kids, or so I thought.

As time went on, the use of Facebook became a vital component of the fabric of people’s social and work life. In many cases, employers urged workers to use the social media platform to engage with customers. Consumers began to recognize that Facebook enabled them to interact and share photos with out-of-town family and friends in a way that email could not match. Before long, it was quite normal for adults to have a social media site.

Not surprisingly, the younger generation wasn’t always pleased with this. What had started as MySpace was suddenly “OurSpace,” and that just wasn’t cool. I heard the story of one young man whose mother sent him a friend request on Facebook. In response, he posted the following message for his friends: “My mom’s on FB now. WTF?” I guess he hadn’t given much thought to the fact that his mother would also have the opportunity to see his message. When she inquired as to the meaning of “WTF,” the young man brilliantly replied, “Oh,… uh,… Welcome to Facebook!”

By 2010, not only my three sons, but my wife, my siblings, and even my mother all had Facebook accounts. It was then that I decided it was time to hop on board and check it out.

It has been an absolute joy reconnecting with former classmates, former students from various schools, women and men with whom I grew up in the Sunset District, and family members around the world. Initially I didn’t always do so, but today I intentionally keep my social media posts positive and up-lifting, though I will occasionally post something challenging, and not always popular. 

Perhaps my favorite reason for embracing the use of social media is to share my writing. From 2006 to 2022, I maintained a blog called Attitude of Gratitude. After posting nearly 2,000 articles on that site, I launched this blog as a way of promoting positivity in the world. My reasons for writing are very much in line with author Mitta Xinindlu’s quote above. 

I write to be heard. I believe I have valuable insights to share, so I write and post my work on social media. I also write to heal. My life has been good — very good, in fact, but like most people, I have had experiences which have required a bit of healing. Writing is my therapy. Posting what I’ve written enables me to express and share thoughts and feelings which might otherwise be bottled-up inside me. I recognize that my ability and desire to write are God-given gifts. This realization contributes significantly to my unwavering focus on gratitude, as well as to my insatiable desire to share these gifts with others.

Social media most definitely has a dark side, but I choose not to go there. My calling, at this point in my life, is to spread positivity and to inspire others to both see the good and be the good in the world.