Source: DALL-E

This was originally posted to Medium on May 19, 2023 (https://medium.com/non-monetized-together/want-to-have-fewer-toxic-online-discussions-work-on-writing-without-a-rough-draft-6d30bfe32500?source=friends_link&sk=dd7e0c163d05b4d1b14d32e769257ff2)

#WritingOnSocialMedia #SocialMediaEtiquette #TheEducationSystem #InternetDiscussion #InternetComments

How We Communicate Online Is Important

Today’s world is mostly shaped by what people say on the Internet. Even though it is hard to find trustworthy statistics on social media scope and usage, anybody can see that it has become the norm for people to use social media. Almost all decisions people make in the physical world are influenced by the media either directly or indirectly, with social media being one of the most-consumed forms of media. From this we can see that much of our lives are shaped by what we see on social media.

Especially important are discussion-centred platforms like Facebook or Twitter. Yet many have noticed that Internet comments tend to be more toxic than other forms of communication. Because of the way social media leaves its marks on other areas of society, this is very concerning and could possibly lead to a dystopian society.

The reason I joined Medium was because I noticed that I am one of the few people who lean toward co-operation and civility when I’m typing out comments. I knew that I could resist the negative influence of online comments by starting an online community centred around freeing others from these influences.

Ignoring Advice From School

How am I able to consistently keep my online posts in check? By ignoring a piece of writing advice that I was told all the time at school — to make a rough draft of my essay before writing a clean draft.

I thought it would be a waste of time to rewrite an essay like that, so I always began writing my essays in full sentences and paragraphs. Then I would re-read it a few times, and once I couldn’t find any new ways to improve it, I would hand it in. Most of my assignments were essays, so I would get a lot of experience with this method, and it would become the natural way I would write when typing on a computer.

Positive Results

This helped me behave more appropriately online because it turned writing into a very deliberate, careful, slow process for me. Because I didn’t have a rough draft to refer to, I had to put a lot of thought into how I chose my words and phrased my sentences so I could get a good grade on the essay. Since I spent so much time writing in school, it ended up characterizing how I write whenever I use a computer keyboard. Now when I type a comment on the Internet, I find it extremely difficult to write anything without pausing every few seconds to consider what I am going to say next. I always feel an urge to type and retype parts of sentences before choosing the option that sounds the best. If I ever get a job where I need to type messages quickly, I might have to break this habit, in which case I would create a writing template I can look at while typing my message.

However, when I am communicating online, my writing habit ensures that I won’t send many regrettable, impulsive posts to devices around the world. Instead, I can communicate on the Internet clearly and productively because I learned how to write carefully without a rough draft.

Conclusion

In order to fix the problem of toxic online discussion spaces, the education system must teach students to write without a rough draft. If you’re in school and you care about this issue, maybe you can try avoiding rough drafts to see how it goes. The more you use this method, the better you will get at it. Not only can it help you be a better writer on social media, but you might make a more beneficial influence on society too.

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