Politics has become more important than friends and love, and the latest survey of social media users enraged over Washington proves that anew.
On the heels of reports that politics are breaking up relationships and even families, a new survey has found that a majority of social media users can’t stand the opinions of views of their friends and acquaintances.
A survey for the networking and privacy firm Comparitech found that nearly 52 percent dumped friends over politics and, overall, 44 percent unfriended anybody with opposite opinions.
Said the survey analysis, provided to Secrets:
“Nearly 44 percent of respondents said they deleted someone off their social media due to their political views or posts. Acquaintances were the ones most commonly being axed from social media feeds — 74.8 percent of people who admitted to unfriending someone said the person was an acquaintance. Nearly 52 percent of respondents reported removing friends, and 22 percent said they had unfriended a co-worker.”
Comparitech said that the findings provide a lesson to those on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other platforms — lighten up and maybe listen to others.
“While the same dissenting voice flooding your news feed on the daily can be frustrating, it’s also important to recognize the perils of being selective. Exposing yourself to opinions that don’t mirror your own is a crucial part of being an informed and active member of our social fabric, and welcoming conversations with people whose opinions differ from yours is an important step toward overcoming fear of the other side. Just remember to resist slinging accusations and avoid adopting an attitude of wanting to change your discussion partner’s mind from the get-go,” said the analysis.
But other findings show that may be hard to do.
The new survey found that many like to rage on social media. And while the media is often focused on President Trump’s quick Twitter finger, it’s the Democrats who are rage happy.
The survey found these key points:
- Although Trump is well-known for his Twitter rampages, Democrats are actually 47 percent more likely than Republicans to express their political views on Twitter.
- 38 percent of Democrats said they were more likely to post on social media in the wake of the 2016 election, while less than a quarter of both Independents and Republicans felt the same.
- Democrats are 38 percent more likely than Republicans to post about social issues, while Republicans are nearly 3x more likely to express their views about national security on social media.
