Tag: Social Media

Social Media: Where Cruelty Is Easy and Kindness Is Hard

~ Stephen Bradford Long ~ 3 Comments

I struggle mightily with social media. It is the most fraught and challenging part of my job as a content creator. On the one hand, I truly enjoy connecting with readers and like-minded individuals. On the other hand, that one upside feels like a tiny oasis in a desert of desolation and destruction. I recently had yet another realization about why social media is hard for me, and why it makes me worried for the future of humanity.

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Compassionate and Reasoned Communication in an Online World

~ Stephen Bradford Long ~ 1 Comment

I co-authored this manifesto with the amazing Aria de Satanas. As public Satanists in a time of COVID, we are both striving to uphold our Satanic values of compassion, empathy, and reason in online spaces. This article is the result. I hope you enjoy. Please check out Aria de Satanas’s work at https://ariadnedesatanas.com/ 

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On Being Better On Social Media

~ Stephen Bradford Long

I am the person I am today, in no small part, because of social media. When I was a newly-out gay man and needed the queer community, I found them on social media. That alone probably saved my life. Ever since those first days of finding my queer community online, I’ve made innumerable friends, connection, and community on social media. I also truly adore my Satanic family on twitter. I start with all this, because I’m going to spend the rest of this post articulating the dark side of social media, how it has reduced my quality of life, and what I intend to do about it.

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In Praise of Secrecy

~ Stephen Bradford Long ~ 2 Comments

Years ago, a therapist once said to me, “Stephen, you are so open, and honest. You expose so much of yourself to the world, and that is wonderful. But I want to challenge you to do something: keep secrets. Keep something away from the world, just for yourself. I don’t care what it is – it could be your favorite drink at Starbucks – but just keep something secret.”

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