So what, who cares?  There’s a movement on social media almost every other week, and last week it was #MeToo.  A chain reaction of a simple two word phrase started “trending”.  Some posts by women I have known for years, and others who are always in the daily spotlight like Seattle News Anchor Amity Addrissi ,who decided it was time to share her painful story.

Why now for so many including myself to stand up through social media?  I can tell you frankly from someone who decided to have a voice, this was not for attention, or to be a trendsetter, this was a scary thing to stand up and speak out.  There’s a stigma attached to this topic and a uneasy conversation which was a reason why so many kept silent because we were lead to believe one thing, so what, who cares?  The #metoo movement became a way to show solidarity, a way to care.

Movements are cropping up almost weekly it seems, some of them we can relate to, others bring their criticism.  So what, who cares?  Still, we know that movements are essential towards social change, historically speaking.  Did we ever think for just a moment that movements through social media do one thing that society is struggling with, and that is simply to connect in a real and honest way.

Connection to others, to life, to our stories is essential to our survival. If we lose connection with others, with the world, within ourselves, we fall privy to so many negative ways of thinking.   Depression, fear, lack of motivation, self worth, anger, addiction, are impacted through a lack of connection. Feeling alone is the deepest depth of connection and the lack of it.

Social media is no longer a new way of connection, though so many can agree that is built on a faulty premise. How do we truly connect with each other through scrolling down a newsfeed, looking at pictures and commenting?  We don’t, we fall further and further away from the true form of connection.  Don’t get me wrong, I love sharing and seeing pictures of friends and family.   Although, I am guilty of not picking up the phone and calling to check-in because, hey I saw it on social media.

Nevertheless, this is a way our society communicates and this will continue to evolve.   The kitchen table talks of the 1990s with my friends and parents are far to forgotten.  Your story, my story, our childrens’ stories, will get lost in translation through a slew of photos, snapchats and likes.  If we are not communicating more often with purpose and teaching our children to, we fall further away from sensibility.

Can you even recall the last time you didn’t hear something tragic on the news?  Now social media gets you even closer to these tragedies and quite honestly given the fact that most of these major events are out of our control, it is an unhealthy rinse, wash and repeat cycle.  They call it “vicarious trauma” according to CNN and Dr. Pam Bradford.  You and I may not realize the impact this negative news has on our lives over time, it does…we feel connected.

Which is why we need to ask ourselves when we hesitate sharing something in a real and candid way…so what, who cares? Here is the why…

One day, your story will make an impact on a friend, on a stranger, on a neighbor and especially on your child.  Because all of these stories, mine, yours, the countless #metoo women that stepped forward, hold the key to the most powerful human motivator.  HOPE.  Hope is a a driver, an influencer, it is critical to connection.

If your story, her story, my story can instill hope in another person than that is reason enough to share it.   Which brings us back to why there are so many movements trending on social media.  Plainly speaking, the world around us needs more hope, we as a society are losing it.  There is an over consumption of negative news and we start to become apathetic to the world around us.   Did you ever hear the saying it takes 20 positives to counter a negative?  Instead of not caring let’s do something about it.

I invite each of you out there who is tired of trying to tune out all the negativity to challenge yourself to connect in a true and genuine way with the world around you…whether it’s sitting around a kitchen table with friends sharing stories, making that phone call, speaking up to give others hope, or teaching your child to focus on the positives in their day.

Let’s start asking ourselves and each other….So What, Who Cares?  Because chances are….we do.