Enough with the “truth bombs” on social media

It is time to rethink the virtue of candor in light of the vice it can easily become.

In the golden age of social media, it has become a cliché to talk about the snark and pettiness that emerges from all corners of Twitter and Facebook, SnapChat and Instagram. Somehow, when their thumbs starts scrolling through their social media feeds and land on a post of particular interest, certain people, be they seasoned politicians or elementary school teachers, pedigreed academics or blue collar workers, just can’t help themselves. For some reason, many people feel empowered — nay, called — to drop unfiltered truth bombs on whomever it is that set them off. 

But it hasn’t always been this way. Could you imagine if someone actually approached a total stranger and confessed, “You look like your voice is putting your face to sleep”?  Or ended a conversation with a walloping “You are a $#@%# idiot. Go away”? Given the opportunity to say such things in person,  I imagine there would either be a lot more restraint, or a marked increase in broken noses.