Civility in a Noisy World

It's a Tuesday morning. You open your laptop, scroll through your feed, and there it is—someone's 14-paragraph post about why you're wrong about… everything. You didn't ask, but here it is, complete with ALL CAPS for emphasis. Welcome to the modern town square: the internet.

The beauty of social media is that it gives everyone a voice. The challenge is… it gives everyone a voice. Volume often trumps thoughtfulness, and the louder someone is, the more space they seem to occupy in the conversation. The digital landscape has become a place where "keyboard warriors" feel safe saying things they'd never say face-to-face. And in that environment, it's tempting to fight fire with fire. But more often than not, that leaves us burnt out and a little singed around the edges.

Civility doesn't mean being silent or avoiding tough conversations. It means pausing long enough to decide whether your words will build a bridge or burn one down. Before engaging, it helps to know your "why." Are you speaking to foster understanding, or to win an argument? Those are two very different outcomes.

Boundaries are essential here. Think of them like sunscreen—apply them liberally before you burn. Curate your feeds. Mute, unfollow, or filter when necessary. Protect your emotional bandwidth like the precious resource it is. And when you do engage, remember that words on a screen are not the total of the person typing them. That perspective alone can soften how personally you take the exchange.

In a noisy world, the calm voice stands out. Model the tone and standard you want to see, not because it's easy, but because it sets you apart as a leader. Sometimes that means responding with clarity and respect; other times, it means choosing silence as the stronger statement.

Stepping away before you respond is not a sign of weakness. It's wisdom. That extra breath can be the difference between escalation and resolution. Integrity is not just what we believe—it's how we behave when the world is watching, and perhaps even more so when it isn't.

Here's the quiet challenge: this week, notice one conversation—online or offline—where you can choose presence over provocation. In doing so, you won't just be protecting your integrity; you will also be protecting your reputation. Importantly, you'll be raising the volume on what truly matters.