First in a monthly series
What is civility? What does it mean to be civil? Can generations apart answer that question and the meaning reflect similarly? In this 21st Century, it appears society is drifting into a time where civility is in the past or temporarily lost: friends and family argue over political leadership and motives; faith is questioned and debated; human wants are expected not earned and needs are pushed aside; communication is digital and in slang, verbal conversations happen less and less.
The Waynesville-St. Robert Area Chamber of Commerce in 2017 kicked off a year-long program known as the Speak Your Peace Civility Project. The campaign's intention was to help people navigate social media successfully and civilly.
The Speak your Peace Campaign’s goal was to remind Waynesville-St. Robert communities to be respectful all the time, but especially when using social media platforms. The campaign has since been reintroduced in 2023 with key focuses on three main topics of educating the community on how to Be Informed, Be Empowered and Be the Difference. The year-long campaign will be broken down into three quarters with a main focus each month.
According to various platform statements, the number of social media users in the United States at the start of 2022 was equivalent to 80.9 percent of the total population, and rising. Social media users are connecting with family and friends, they are following local businesses, connecting with celebrity influencers and experiencing the world at their fingertips. Our world has heavily evolved with technology, with AI (Artificial Intelligence) and digital communication at the helm of the future. Human tone and disposition interpreted through text is yet to be clearly defined and understood, which allows for the opportunity of misinterpretation, leading to anger, hostility and resentment.
For society to learn to be happy we have to learn how to live well with others, even in a digitally derived new world. It is understandable that happiness is achieved through civility. Civility allows people to connect successfully - that's the key word - with others. When we can successfully connect with one another through civility we can engage in thoughtfulness, foster efficacy in self-expression and communication - ultimately as a society we thrive. We can live happily with others.
Civility is goodness, it is genuine and honest. Civility is being in constant awareness of others - and honoring the validity of their feelings. Its respect and consideration. It entails not only a one on one relationship but modeling an active interest in the well-being of others and our community.
If you are reading this you have most likely experienced negativity in some means on social media. The term “keyboard warrior” and “cyber bullies” are often used in reference to those individuals who always have something negative or confrontational to say about a situation or person on social media, even when the relevance to them is minimal or non-existent.
Be Informed, Be Empowered and Be the Difference
Kicking off the New Year and the first quarter (Be Informed) the chamber program was focused on the topic: Pay Attention. To recap January, merely ask yourself: Do you remember to greet others? A simple greeting shows others around you that you see them, you are aware of their presence. That simple act gives happiness to that person.
The month of February started the second month of the Speak your Peace Campaign. The topic was Listen - to be a cooperative listener - not a distracted listener but an engaged listener. The goal was to get the community involved and interactive. Followers were asked to “Show that you are listening by commenting with a relevant question(s) under a friend's social media post.” Listening is selfless, asking the right questions shows what they (your peers) have to say are relevant to you.
For the month of March the campaign promoted Speak Friendly. Speaking Friendly shows your words have power, it shows your maturity to put your own needs on hold to take into consideration the feelings of others. April closed the first quarter of Be Informed with Be Aware before you Share. Being aware of others feelings before you share. This even includes the over-doting mother who overshares about her kids and family on social media. Consider their feelings before you share.
May begins the second quarter with Being Empowered. The first topic in this quarter is Accept and Give Praise. Being complimented for some is uncomfortable, and we do not know how to appropriately respond. Whether it is a compliment on one's hair, clothing, performance or a job well done, tell them and tell them often. Accept it with a smile and give a simple thank you. It is nice to be acknowledged and appreciated. June will continue with Be Empowered and will highlight Taking Ownership.
It is not too late to get on board, get on line and get active within the campaign. Your engagement and active role is what the Waynesville-St. Robert Chamber of Commerce seeks.
Community involvement
“The chamber office plans to provide monthly updates and press releases,” says Cecilia Murray, Waynesville-St. Robert Area Chamber of Commerce executive director. “Our goal is to have businesses and schools share the information and to bring awareness to this very timely topic. We got the idea for this program during a four-state chamber conference, and thought our community would benefit from this program. We saw a need to step back and bring respect to the forefront of social media with friendly reminders. This program has been successful in other communities and we thought it would be well-received here.”
According to Murray, the chamber plans to post interactive reminders each week to their Facebook page.
“We encourage everyone to visit our page for tutorials, open discussion and success stories,” Murray said. “The program is a great way for parents and families to discuss proper social media etiquette with their children.”
For Speak Your Peace updates, visit the chamber’s Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/WaynesvilleStRobertChamber/. #SpeakYourPeace #ChoosingCivility #BeEmpowered #AcceptandGivePraise
