Most people do not engage in social media discourse to have their opinions swayed, but to sway others' opinions.

Any thought on another will not be seen by the engager because they will not post it, and you cannot see their faces. Plus, people don’t change their mind in an instant about deep beliefs. It takes time, reflection, weighing, and study. It’s a slow process.

The result is that you post to social media hoping people will be swayed or think about what you said, but knowing you’ll never know it. You will know about the ones who adamantly oppose you and they will try to shout you down. They will twist your words and call you names. They will tell you you are wrong. Often, they are vicious and trolling, especially if your post works against their agenda or makes them uncomfortable. They’re offended.

And we’ve all been on both sides of that to varying degrees.