Be very careful that the very things you may wish for that will make you like everyone else could well be the thing that ends up making you just like everyone else,' resonates deeply with me in the light of the youth Mental Health crisis we face. In fact, social media seems to be exacerbating this concern."

While social platforms can be useful tools and potentially connect us, I worry they are dangerously leading young people down a path of believing they must conform to a specific viewpoint, ideology and agenda and are not able to question it for fear of being outcast.

There is an Allure of Belonging:

There's no doubt there is comfort in conformity especially for young people finding their way in the world. There's comfort in feeling like you belong and are part of a tribe, in fact I think it is human nature to crave this feeling as sharing interests, styles, and opinions with others provides a sense of belonging and acceptance and that we have a place in society.

However, is social media becoming a trap that creates blinkered conformity and diminished critical thinking and a blind adherence to group think?

My fear is that these online behaviors are also creeping offline, impacting our education systems and workplaces. This may lead many people to see individuals with differing opinions, backgrounds, and ideologies as enemies instead of engaging in respectful discourse. 

When we celebrate our uniqueness, don't we not only unlock our potential but also inspire and enrich the lives of those around us.

In this age of social media, shouldn't we be encouraging young people to:

Actively question information presented to them online and at school, university etc by seeking diverse perspectives, and developing strong reasoning skills?

Seek out diverse connections by durrounding themselves with people who challenge their perspectives?

Whether it's a sporting team, workplace, school, or family environment, doesn't the real beauty and real human growth lie in our differences. Our diverse opinions, perspectives, experiences?

It is becoming easy to forget that the world has always thrived on diversity of thought, perspective and health respectful discourse and seems to be moving towards the death of debate and difference especially online but also beyond that.

The move away from this in my opnion may be one of the biggest current issues facing young people..

Would love to know your thoughts and any more than happy for you to share any differences of opinion..