The good and bad of social media

It is a great way of keeping up to date with the activities of family members spread out across the state, country or even overseas.

I have also found it to be great for getting back in touch with the people from my formative years, attending the same primary and high schools all those years ago.

And a page about the history and faces of the area of my childhood has brought back many memories.

In more recent times I have found groups and pages dedicated to two of my biggest loves - pies and vanilla slices.

The pages have even inspired me to do a vanilla slice tour, spending a day and stretching my stomach's limits while sampling recommended offerings at bakeries across the area.

These are some of the things social media does really well.

On the other hand it provides a platform for people to vent petty grievances, invariably followed by others piling on and really making a mountain out of a molehill, as the old saying goes.

In recent days I have seen people complain about a business not selling items they wanted to buy, or a staff member at a fast food outlet being rude.

And I had to wonder - is this what we have become?

Have we become the type of people quick to take offence and whine on social media rather than talking to the people causing the offence, and trying to sort things out, or even understand things from the other person's perspective?

Having spent a few years working in hospitality, it is my experience that the people complaining about staff being rude are generally the ones being unreasonable and making unrealistic demands.

With our region expected to be especially busy over coming days and weeks as tourists flock to area, let's all try to be a little bit more patient and understanding of the people and businesses trying to serve us.

Glenn Ellard, senior journalist.