Social media has burst on the American horizon in the last few years like an Atomic Bomb.

It has been a phenominal happening to all our lives!

We have enjoyed it’s benefits. We have reconnected with old friends. We now stay connected across the miles with large groups of people. Our world has expanded and exploded with new possibilities.

We are blessed in many ways for all Social Media brings to us.

I want to point out today that there is also a downside to this wonderful addition to our lives the last few years.

It is unfortunate that ease of access allows people to post things in cyberspace without any qualifications.

In the old days when it was your circle of friends with your daily life, it was easy to hear something and discard it as nonsense. That is no longer true with the advent of Social Media.

People you do not know well, far away, can hear things or read things and never really be able to consider the source. Once something is launched on cyberspace who among us can say where it will finally and ultimately end up?

I had a negative experience recently that brought this to light. Two years ago I went to my 40th class reunion. There were people there I remember, but most were vague memories that I had not seen or thought of in decades.

There was much sharing of information and giving emails, Facebook additions without a whole lot of thought. Into that pile of people, one evidently got on my Facebook friend list.

Nothing was said or posted for two years, then out of the blue they post an incredible and fallacious post.

When it was brought to my attention, of course I immediately deleted it and “Unfriended” the person. But I was left with this feeling of “Yuk”.

Not one of the several thousand people who are friends with me on Facebook would know the particulars of the person who posted. All they see are words.

People have no way of knowing if the person who posted is legitimate. Are they sane? Do they have mental problems? Are they an alcoholic? Have they been, or are they addicted to drugs? Have they ever been to rehab? A dozen scenarios can be inserted here.

The downside of Social Media is none of that accompanies the post. So the post takes wings and flies to the far corners of the world without the benefit of knowing anything about the person who posted.

I do not suppose there is anything we can do about this downside of Social Media.

Maybe just being aware of the potential of it tainting a reputation will help bring balance?

I do not have the answer, but I sure wish there was a good answer to this downside of Social Media!

Thanks for reading today.