Behold, The Cesspool Of Social Media

Mark Morton is a guitarist for Lamb of God. Today he shared some of his Instagram DMs via his Twitter feed.

People are truly deranged. I am used to seeing reporters share these types of direct messages as well. I once even received a death threat myself for an album review someone obviously did not agree with... but this is beyond. Are people so bored these days that being a keyboard cowboy gives an ego boost or something?

I have been saying for years now that Facebook destroyed the world as we know it and I stand by that thought. Social media really is a cesspool. It definitely has its place and if you are in the marketing and communications business like me, you have no choice but to use social to promote a brand message. But come on. As a global society, we can be better than this - or at least I hope.

Just a little sample from my Instagram DMs.... pic.twitter.com/YlJ8Wjl24G

— Mark Morton 🇺🇸 (@MarkDuaneMorton) December 29, 2020

Comments

[Bkallday]

Lamb of God is a great band imo but for whatever reason they receive a lot of hate in the metal community. Kinda like the Crüe gets a lot of hate in the Hard Rock community. I don’t get either one but I guess once you have so much success, then the haters start to come out of the woodwork more than ever before. I get not being into a band but to the point of hating nonstop and obsessing goes beyond my understanding. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[Mike]

Agreed that social media has changed western society for the worst - everyone suddenly has a voice and actions seem inconsequential.

The other issue here with Mark (and I hate to bring it up)... is fanatacism in politics. Under no circumstance should an elected official have rabid fan base who attack at the slightest criticism, but here we are.

Stay cool everyone - think before you type, Does it new to be said? Will you stand behind your statements in a week / month / year?

Also, happy almost 2021.

[Gary]

I figure I may be the last person on the planet who has zero social media presence on any platform available. Occasionally posting here is pretty much it. Just couldn’t be bothered with it and all the inherent drama attached to it.

Hope everyone has a safe and happy New Years, and that 2021 returns us to what used to pass as normalcy. 🤘

[EddieLongHair]

I agree, completely. Social media has encouraged the western world to devolve into what it has become. To think, what was once a place for vapid people to talk about lipstick or show us pictures of their dinner has become a place where world "leaders" actually enact policy. So glad I left my only social media (FB) in mid November of 2016. Just couldn't take all of the hate anymore. Haven't even had the desire to go back at all.

And Happy 2021! Can't come soon enough. 2020 was a truly painful year.

[Bkallday]

No Gary, I’m extremely proud to say that I’ve never had any social media accounts either.

[Him]

I join Gary and Bkallday in the no social media camp. When I watch what it does to friends and foes alike, I want to vomit.

Like Gary, I only post here. What I read on other sites makes me sad. I mean that, sad. Do I read them? Well, yes, obviously. But, the moment the fun of reading deranged notes from dimwits wears off, I click 'close' and move back to something more edifying.

My only tweak to this discussion? This all existed before. But it spread more slowly and more locally. Oftentimes, by the time it got to the next town or country, the message had undergone further distortions and tweaks. Sound familiar? The novelty of the internet is the instantaneous nature of the screaming, ranting, and shaming. With one click we can all be in the asylum now . . . and we are given a chance to shout whatever we like, whenever we want to, to whoever we want, with limited consequences.

This truly pushes to the edges of what the marketplace of ideas was conceptualized as being. As such, and as I do right now in real marketplaces, I limit my time, choose my 'stores', and remain cautious about those to whom I speak and on what subjects.