Over the past few years, as I have grown and my peers gained more access to social media and technology, I have heard a lot of, “Did you see what Rihanna posted?!” or, “Did you hear about so-and-so? ” My answer is “No.” No, I am not looking to see whether the Kardashians are having a new baby nor am I waiting for some new drama to start up. So many people’s heads are tied up in posts from The ShadeRoom, stuff they simply see on the internet, or what is going on in someone else’s life. It is not just teenagers, it is adults too. Focusing on social media, gossip, and drama is not helpful or beneficial to anyone. 

Reading a few words about a situation the writer was not even involved in is playing telephone. You are either going to get bits and pieces or a completely different story, especially on a page like “The Shaderoom”. The Shaderoom is a page on social media, most often seen on Instagram, that posts news, celebrity updates and big events. They are most likely going to pick out and build on pieces that are going to get them the most hype. Pages like The Shaderoom are not concerned about accuracy or how it’s affecting anyone. They know that if they choose the right information to share they are going to get a broader audience. 

After seeing or hearing about these dramas people then gossip with their peers. It can lead to arguments because of differences in opinion; it can cause the person the drama’s about to feel a negative way; it can ruin a person’s life or career. People make assumptions and create their own ideas in their head and it gets out of hand. Eventually, there are hundreds of different posts on the same situation from people who were not involved. 

These are things that cause celebrities to get “canceled” and receive backlash. They lose fans and supporters, but also they get a lot of negative publicity and feedback. Sometimes, depending on the situation, they receive death threats and disrespect. This has to stop because not only are they famous but they are also human, allowed to make mistakes and have opinions. People seem to forget they also have feelings and lives of their own. How would you feel if every time you shared your opinion you got threats, disrespected and had to worry about it affecting other aspects of your life? Nobody wants that. Famous people have to watch what they do and say because one slip up is all it takes and they’re “canceled.” 

Not only this but celebrities also have to deal with people spreading fake information to the world. Imagine you meet someone and you think they are pretty cool, but they do not want anything to do with you because of something they heard about you. Publicity can be nice but it’s also one of the many cons about being famous. 

Now whether you are famous or not, drama can still affect you whether it be in a positive or negative way. More often than not it will be negative ways. You rarely hear how drama helped or brought joy to someone’s life. Some people choose to disregard it and some use it as motivation to do better. But for the people that don’t have that mindset, gossip and drama can take a toll. 

We should focus more on ourselves because as individuals we already have enough to worry about and adding someone else’s problems and dramas is not going to get us anywhere. We all have goals that we want to achieve. Where on the route to success does it have “focus on other people”?

Personally, I am in my second year of highschool and I “stay out of the way” meaning I do not get involved in any kind of drama. I mind my business. I don’t put my business out for the world to know. I have found this to be the best path for me and I highly recommend it. I have more time to do things that make me happy and focus on the things that will help me achieve my goals. Not only that, but I get in less trouble. 

There’s a quote “You cannot hang out with negative people and expect to live a positive life” by Joel Osteen. Well you can easily hear that and hear “You cannot focus on negative things and expect to live a positive life.” It is the same thing. Focus on you, your life and it will be more enjoyable.