The advent of social media has provided ample opportunities for humans to bond. At first, it was remarkable and refreshing to see groups of people from all over the world sharing pictures of sunsets, spoon collections and Pez dispensers. We were all having fun.

Unfortunately, we have not found the same rapport and good will in realms like politics, education, science and medicine. Conversations easily evolve into shouting matches. Content that has evidently been doctored makes it through seemingly trained and experienced eyes, and gets shared by thousands of users who say to themselves: “If a person I respect linked to this, it must be true.” We later realize that what seemed real was actually not.

Many angry “tweets” about service originate from airports. Your flight got delayed. You are essentially confined to a tiny space and your smartphone becomes a megaphone to express dismay at the airline that left you stranded or made you wait. The COVID-19 pandemic, which for better or worse confined us to our homes, provided people with a chance to take the airport lounge inside their home. Anger led to people “doing their own research” to become supposed experts on anything, usually with slanted sources that fit their prevailing biases.

Few issues have been as polarizing as vaccines. Earlier this month, about........

© BIV