Finding kindness and positivity on social media is super easy.
So is finding hate and negativity.
I’m a firm believer that you find what you’re looking for. So many people talk about how social media is tearing people down or that there’s so much hate on every platform. But there’s so much empathy, kindness, and positivity too.
You just have to find it.
I’m writing this article in hopes that it will help a few of you look at things differently and seek out positivity instead of negativity in your online behavior.
Here are some examples of positivity I found from Twitter search:
“A kid maybe like 11-12 years old just opened the door for me. That hasn’t happened to me since 2014.” – @yessyiswrite
“Thanks to some really kind people at Starbucks who helped me out today. I took a nasty fall right outside my door. Cut my hand up. Hit my head on the concrete and bruised my knees.” – @ReassemblyR
“My sister is having a baby girl and I’m so excited. I’m going to be an amazing aunt to a wonderful baby girl!” – @InimitableArts
“To be nominated and recognized in such a massive way by University and by DUSA is completely overwhelming. I’m so grateful! I honestly just hope that future students at the University of Dundee feel a benefit from my time as School President.” – @garadith
“Being told you’re beautiful by a random stranger and not in a cat call way. Just a lovely woman telling another woman she’s beautiful. #PayItForward” – @Lopezinq
“People are being extra nice today and I LOVE IT.” – @AmandaMoreno72
“Thank you to the very nice young man and woman who helped push my car out of a snowy ditch that I got stuck in just now when trying to stop and take a photo – misjudged the lack of shoulder on the road with all the snow.” – @IAStartingLine
“Wow, I was having a terrible day until a lady approached me who was lost and alone visiting the campus from Brazil. I helped her charge her phone, get connected to wifi, and get her Uber app working which unfortunately didn’t work out. I called her a cab and she just now left.” – @guitarguybry
“My 17-year-old son just showed me his school paper saying, “First time using footnotes!” I’m having a proud writer mom moment. My baby’s growing up!” – @LauraKatePalmer
“Strangers have opened their homes to me, hotel clerks have helped keep me safe, fellow travelers have helped me shovel out my car, change a tire, charge my phone, make it safely home at the end of the night.” – @rebeccaloebe
Social media is “exposing” our mindset
I’ve talked a lot before about how social media isn’t changing us. It’s exposing us.
Social media platforms don’t show you random content that you don’t want to consume. They don’t push negativity on anyone.
They just show you content that you (or people similar to you) respond to — either through its algorithm, or the topics / people you’ve decided to follow. If you don’t like the content you’re seeing on social media, it would be really valuable to take a closer look at your own consumption behavior – both online and offline.
Forget about social media for a second. Ask yourself… are you looking for positivity or negativity in the “real world”? Do you notice the random acts of kindness that happen around you? Do you believe “nice guys finish last“? Do you notice people being nice to each other at work, or do you mainly notice people tearing each other down? Do you notice people giving to one another without expectation, owning their truths, and being kind?
Social media platforms just give us a new “medium” to act out the same old behaviors that we acted out before – and in my point of view, they’re being unfairly demonized for negative effects in society.
In most cases, they “feed” us the sort of things that we already want to consume.
In closing… here’s my challenge to you:
Spend the next 24 hours looking for “the good.” Look for the kindness, positivity, and empathy. Look at the world “glass half full.”
Just 24 hours of looking for the good could change your life forever once you see what starts happening to your mindset.
If you’ll commit to this, tweet me @GaryVee and let me know 😉
