“The Grandmother Problem.” It’s an issue that as a Millennial, I deal with a lot in my own family, from both sides of the political spectrum. I used to keep my tios in check, but it’s gotten to the point now in my life that I just don’t even fight it anymore; I block or hide it and move on. Sometimes I’ll find myself in comment wars on the original post, but I won’t respond to the person-in-question sharing the questionable content ( a bad habit I’m trying to break). I know I should be more responsible, and this course is showing me more and more why it’s important to stay in the conversation, and be a voice backed with fact and reputable sources.
The first thing I do when I see my loved ones sharing misinformation on social media: I take a deep breath. Next, I’ll ask for a source, if there isn’t one, or if it’s a sketchy source, I’ll try to find a source that’s reputable and also backing their claims. If and when I don’t find one, I’ll try to stay calm but neutral (and by neutral I mean an “lol” buffer at the end of the sentence), and in as few words possible, explain why the post is wrong.
When it’s family, it almost always ends in an argument. My uncles don’t know how to keep their ignorant comments to themselves sometimes; I think it’s the toxic masculinity/racism that stems from traditional Hispanic households, but that’s a whole other topic. I have a pretty huge extended family but we’re not that close (spread out across the whole country), so a lot of the times I don’t have a problem blocking or unfollowing people that create a hostile debate space. I try not to cause bad blood, though, so I’ll stick it out for as long as I can out of respect for family. Old friends don’t have as many chances; If you’re around my age, you know how to work the internet, and you know how to use Google. I’ll try and reason with my friends once or twice, being as calm as possible (I stress this because I am QUITE a hothead in real life and online). If with all of that, you’re still sharing misinformation and being irresponsible, then I unfollow and move on. Again, a bad habit. But my mental health comes first, and after a while these things start to drive me crazy. I can’t be responsible for everyone, right?
I don’t know that I believe that’s true anymore; this course has helped me see that. I need to be more conscious of what I post, and I also need to play my part and educate those around me.
