Social media is responsible for more than a few great social changes, but it’s also got its cons, like the rampant “call-out culture” that has intensified even more in the past year (and the past presidential campaign). 

Call-out culture is when people on social media “call out” or confront people online for justified – or unjustified – reasons. Call outs can happen for anything, but they often address issues like cultural appropriation, insensitivity to minority groups, or political views. Call outs are not always true or productive, either, as people can say whatever they want to say on social media whether they have proof or not.

You wouldn’t typically directly confront someone in real life, but social media gives users the opportunity to express their opinions and irritations without having to argue with a real person with a real voice and real consequences. Facebook arguments and subtweets have become commonplace (and the butt of jokes), but the concern comes from the fact that everyone can see them – friends, family, and future employers.

The destructiveness of this culture comes from the divisiveness it incites. People-pleasers and the like become paranoid about what they do, say or post because of the potential for people to call them out on social media and essentially, publicly humiliate them. There’s rarely an argument on social media that is handled civilly and has a mutually positive outcome, so in a world of digital barriers and misunderstanding, why bother?

To read the full article in The Atlantic, click here.