Editor,
In his column in the Daily Journal from Friday, May 14, Editor in Chief Jon Mays makes valid points about social media and how it has shaped this new society we have become. One that is mean, argumentative and in my opinion, lacks critical thinking. Knee jerking an opinion, maybe intentionally, to ruffle feathers rather than forming an argument for or against a particular subject or issue just to see what the reaction will be.
I remember a letter writer a few weeks ago who described a Zoom meeting with city planners and councilmembers that I believe was about San Mateo’s General Plan and how people were just posting random opinions (as she described) in a free-for-all fashion. What was supposed to be a constructive meeting, according to her, turned into a disruptive debacle.
To me, this is what social media has caused and will continue unabated for what I believe to be the new normal. It is sad and sadly the direction it will continue to go because, as Jon Mays ended his article with “That’s up to us” (to change it) and from what I witness daily, it’s not going to end any time soon.
Bob Wackerman
San Mateo
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(1) comment
Agreed, Mr. Wackerman. This new normal seems to have exploded half a decade ago along with the severe cases of Trump Derangement Syndrome exhibited by the mainstream media and their willing readers. Even today, we can see there appears to be no cure, as evidenced by the many comments and LTE’s from those suffering from TDS.
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