How to deal with Negativity

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On social media, many people have experienced some form of negative comment. There will always be those debbie downers roaming about, but how are we supposed to deal with them? In Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick’s book, “The Art of Social Media," Kawasaki gives some advice I find to be quite intelligent. 

One of the first pieces of advice Kawasaki gives is to stay positive. Personally, I find this to be the most important. Of course, no one likes a negative comment, but it is important to remember that one person’s opinion is not everyone’s opinion. It took me a long time to accept it is impossible to satisfy everyone. Therefore, if one person gives you trouble, do not fret about it. Keep your head up and do not let their negativity bring you down. 

When you receive a negative comment, there is nothing wrong with commenting back, but Kawasaki explains to keep it controlled. He suggests going only three rounds. This means if you receive a negative comment, you can comment back once, but if they continue, let it go. I find this to be a great rule to follow. Responding to a negative comment, as long as it is a professional response, shows that you are strong in your opinions and willing to stand up for yourself. Then, if they comment again and you don’t respond, you are being the bigger (wo)man and it looks more professional to outside viewers.

In regard to how you can respond, Kawasaki gives some nice suggestions for that as well. One of these suggestions is to ask the commenter if they have had experience with the issue themselves. I find this advice ingenious! So many people make predetermined judgements on things they know little about. Therefore, asking them if they have even had experience with the subject is a slap in the face if they have not. If they have, then it might be interesting to see their point of view. Kawasaki also says it is OK to agree to disagree. This is good advice as well. If you feel the need to say something back that it simple and sensible, saying, “I understand your point of view, but I see things differently," is a great solution. 

Negative comments can be seen all over social media, but it is important to know how to deal with them. Whether you decide to respond is up to you, but if you do, think before you speak. Do not ruin your reputation because of a person hiding behind a commuter screen. As Kawasaki says, “Life is too short to be constantly fighting battles, and most battles are not worth the effort.”

Comments

  1. Matthew BrightbillJanuary 23, 2018 at 7:41 AM

    What you said about staying positive resonates with me so much! It was one of my favorite parts of the reading. I like to think that it applies to all aspects of life and communication (Katie Kuhn would be proud of us) as well as social media.

    Kawasaki is such a sassy guy. The part of about asking if they have ever even used the product they're complaining about is so funny. I want to try and use that.

    Great article :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Adelyn HelmsJanuary 28, 2018 at 9:39 PM

    I like this section too. I especially think it's helpful that he gives tips on how you can disagree with people and stand up for yourself in a respectful, non problematic way. Because you don't just want to leave all the negative comments alone! Sometimes you need to respond. But there is a professional way to do it. Awesome!

    ReplyDelete

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