VIM Executive Coaching almost did it. We were halfway convinced to open accounts on two, popular social media sites. We will call them “A” and “B.” After ten minutes, we walked away from both. “A” was angry and appeared to blame all of life’s problems on one political party and way of thinking. The posters to that site were not what we would call civil. In fact, it drove us to “B.” Site “B” appeared to blame all of life’s problems on the other political party and their way of thinking. They were every bit as angry.
It was not worth it.
Social media anger
It was a 2024 survey that appeared in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association that was unmistakable in its findings (though being good researchers, they couched their findings):
“Our results suggest an association between high levels of social media use, particularly posting on social media, and irritability among US adults. The implications of this irritability and the potential for interventions to address this association require additional investigation.”
The survey cut across nearly 43,000 Americans, many of whom had graduate degrees with high incomes and clearly within a 35–55-year-old age range. Most of these folks admitted to posting from several times a week, to many times a day.
In an aggregation of survey results (November 2024) the word “admitted” was confirmed:
“78% of employees used social media during work hours in 2024, showing a 5% increase from 2023…Average daily social media time at work increased to 1.9 hours in 2024.”
Whether it is due to remote work, hybrid or even furtive use of devices in person-to-person situations, the use of social media by executives has skyrocketed. It is a given, almost expected and if not fully accepted, a fact-of life.
We are business coaches, certainly not behavioral psychologists or judges. However, studies abound that cite political arguments in the current workplaces as a serious issue. The workplace is hardly neutral any longer. Even if some executives nod in silence to political discussions, it does not suggest they acquiesce to what is being said. There are also numerous studies that show a lack of politeness and compassion in many organizations.
The weight of all these studies is staggering. There is an undercurrent of mistrust and anger behind many of the smiling facades. The question is, where is all of this anger headed? We frankly can’t answer that. The digital device, along with social media, has invaded work lives. The anger triggers angry behavior, angry conversations, angry judgments toward differing mindsets and opinions.
What can be done?
The obvious response is to dial back anger and social media use. We are not naïve enough to believe either will happen. Until there is a cataclysmic shift in the way workplaces address such behaviors, executives – at least privately – will remain in their silos.
Nevertheless, mindfulness training can at least mitigate judgment or bias. While an executive leader might sharply mistrust even a suspected opinion, as long as authenticity and consideration are in place, an effective manager should not be unduly judged.
Obviously, we are not talking about unacceptable workplace behaviors, nonetheless bias against an employee simply because they are known to have a differing opinion should be examined through the lens of mindfulness. It is frankly unfair to judge an employee who in all other ways is effective.
There must also be an acknowledgment that opinions shift. Unacceptable opinions can, and do, sometimes become acceptable.
Mindfulness training understands that the best executive leaders are usually the most open to acceptance and change. The old black and white, “I’m right, You’re wrong” scenario should not be placed above mindful response.