3. Don’t always believe what you read online.
When you read something on a popular military blog or Facebook post, chances are you are not reading the truth – it’s an opinion. A blogger doesn’t have to fact check a story or have multiple sources. No, they just need a keyboard, Internet, an agenda and a bag of Cheetos to write a piece.
People tend to give credence to what they read on the Internet. Writing a blog and posting on Facebook and Twitter is not the same as journalism – gossip maybe, but not journalism.
Resist the urge to be spoon-fed information only to regurgitate it afterwards to others. Think for yourself. Stop group-think. There are always two sides to every story and truth is somewhere in between. Find credible news organizations and journalists to follow if you want to learn more about military life.
As for those horrible and hurtful social media sites about military spouses, stay clear of them. The people (and I use that word loosely) who run those sites are nothing more than cowards behind keyboards who strive to push out damaging and offensive imagery. No, it’s not funny. No, we don’t need to “lighten up” about it and yes, it is a form of cyberbullying. Don’t get caught up in the “popularity” of a grotesque view of our world. When you visit those sites you aren’t just reading about the problem, you become the problem.
