McDonough Editorial

August 12, 2022

As developments in technology bring new constant social interactions, such opportunities have come with a unique set of problems. Intoxicated by the draw of adding to the universal conversation  that is social media, our society is left grappling with a major fundamental pitfall, no care or consideration taken for the deeply-rooted power of words. 

It’s a decades old debate that so many screens would make people forget how to interact. While that holds some validity, there is a habit to point fingers at younger generations for problems that come with technology, since they use it the most. But, are young people  the only ones walking down the sidewalk while trying to write an email or text? Not exactly.  

Multiple times a day, someone right now is staring at a blinking cursor and a textbox that reads, what is on your mind? It’s taunting and not as intimidating to some as it probably should be. When numerous streams of consciousness are constantly updating at the push of a button, it creates an illusion that you need to say something right here, right now, no questions asked. But this is not an act fed entirely by adrenaline, ego is an equal and sometimes overriding partner. When our focus is clouded and everything suddenly becomes about inserting ourselves into the worldwide conversations, any sense of reflection and self-editing goes out the window. Not only do actions like this often end up with many miscommunications, but also have the real possibility of hurting people. There’s a reason that sayings like, “Think before you speak”, still hold up today. 

When a mass of people are trying to record their every unfiltered  thought on a specific topic, the real-time consequences impact those who are actually trying to use this tool to move forward in a better society. Especially in our current climate, social media has become a place for many qualified advocates to try and educate people on urgent topics. But, if you scroll through their comment sections, you’ll find accusations that the platform is being exploited for personal gain by individuals who barely have a grasp on the full picture. We as a society are being led by our egos, and sadly it has us all by the tongue. 

Regardless of the medium, language and words are a long standing foundation of humanity that holds all kinds of complex historical layers. No matter if it is in ink, pencil, stone or  keystroke, we are ignoring the fact that speech is a core connection of what has given us any type of community. The habit of being able to verbally tear people down online for personal sport, continues to seep into the fabric of how we generally communicate.

 Look at the conversations surrounding any type of minority representation in our language. Members of marginalized communities are calling for the most basic respect to be reflected in our speech after centuries of hate thrown in their direction. More often than not, those standing up for themselves are met by the privileged with a debate on whether or not that change is really worth the work. If words truly do not hold the power that they used to, then those who benefit from the status quo would not be putting up a fight against change. 

English educators all across the country did not put in their blood, sweat, and tears for us to collectively forget the power of what we say. It’s on us as a united people to remember the power of our vocabulary.