HOT PURSUIT

There is no doubt that last week’s assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk is just another dark moment for America.

While I’m not going to jump into the political foray over this topic, something perhaps even more concerning and alarming has caught my attention. And it’s something that hits me close to home.

During Sunday’s Meet the Press, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox described last week’s evil act as a watershed moment for America. Specifically, he said that he can’t emphasize enough the damage social media and the internet are doing to all of us.

Cox said “cancer probably isn't a strong enough word” to describe social media, which he says has contributed to “every single assassination and assassination attempt” in recent years. He blames social media for playing a direct role in political violence.

My focus isn’t on political violence but rather on how social media can lead to the breakdown of families.

I’m often asked by others about my social media use. And while I probably raise a few eyebrows over it, I tell people my social media is nonexistent. I will qualify this by saying that as a newspaper, we use social media to promote accurate information for readers to digest. However, I have nothing to do with it other than providing some content for other staff members to post.

But when it comes to personal use, it’s nada zilch for me as far as Facebook, Instagram and other platforms. Social media played a significant role in the demise and subsequent breakup of my marriage several years ago. I’ve never gone into great detail with anyone in the past because it’s very painful for me to say the least. It often brings me to tears and fits of rage, anger and disgust.

One morning I woke up and found my Facebook account had been hacked at the time by my wife. While even at that time I rarely had used Facebook, it was beyond alarming that she would need to creep on my account in the middle of the night. I immediately shut down the account and have never looked back.

My distain for social media has been accelerated by the same now ex-spouse who constantly portrays herself as someone she’s not under a fictious name no less. (Gutless comes to mind.) In the past even when we were together, she often plastered her social media accounts with photographs, some borderline provocative, fitting the phrases of “look, how sexy I am” and “oh, look at how wonderful my life is.”

In my ex-wife’s world, it’s all about getting “likes” and having people comment about things she posts. It befalls me that people can’t see through this crap. It obviously fuels something drastically missing in her life. This behavior clearly is associated with external validation, self-objectification, or a need for attention.

Studies show the positive reinforcement from likes and comments can create a cycle of seeking more social media engagement, similar to a dopamine addiction. In some cases, posting photos can be a way to seek reassurance or build confidence when a person lacks it internally.

Sadly, this inappropriate behavior has rubbed off on our teenage daughter. I’m fearful it will have a lasting impact on her in the most harmful and negative way.

I agree with Gov. Cox that social media is a cancer plaguing our society in not only ways that are physically harmful but also emotionally and psychologically. In my world, it has left me defenseless even with my own family.

Excessive alcohol use has been a major problem in people’s lives for many years. Now you can add social media to the ills of society that we need cleansing for.

It’s time for all of us to take a deep dive and go in hot pursuit of how we can better ourselves for the sake of loved ones and others around us.