Negative Comments on Social Media – It’s Part and Parcel of Having an Opinion

If there’s one thing that I get told puts people off social media, it’s negative comments. It’s the number one thing people tell me makes them worry about posting.

It’s funny, though, because on the other hand, we hear of social media users complaining how few comments they get!

So, should negative comments put you off? Will you get them? And if you share your opinion, should you expect them? Let’s take a look…

“Opinions are like ****holes. Everyone’s got one!”

I can’t remember who told me that, but it’s true (if a little crass). If you share your opinion on social media, you can darn sure expect someone to have an opposing one.

So, if you post your views, it’s just common sense to expect that you’ll get some people (maybe lots) disagreeing with you.

It’s just maths!

Should you hide your opinion then? Well, if you’re afraid of keyboard warriors, sure. But I’d be amazed if you got that many, if any at all!

Negative Comments on Social Media – It’s Part and Parcel of Having an Opinion

What you fear the most rarely happens

I’m pretty opinionated online. In fact, I’d go as far as to say I share my opinion more than anything else. I see content, social, events and all manner of things in my world and I share about them on social.

I recently quit drinking and I shared the journey on social media.

I have views about AI and content I see online, so I share that too.

I get comments, and some of them are negative because (shock!) not everyone agrees with my view.

Does it stop me posting? Hell no.

Does it make me think about not posting? Hell yes.

Negative comments can’t hurt if you allow them to. I’ll be honest, there have been many a time when I wanted the internet to vanish because of the way a comment made me feel.

But I came to the conclusion that you can’t please everybody all of the time. You can’t all agree, so if you share your views, some will disagree.

But there’s some good news…

Not everyone who disagrees will comment

This is the part of the blog I want you to remember. Not everyone who disagrees will actually comment or share that they disagree. Most will just scroll on. And when I say most, I mean 90+%!

You see, the people who disagree know that if they comment that they disagree, you’ll reply (or someone else will) and they will get the very thing you’re trying to avoid – negative comments!

The door swings both ways.

Should you keep your opinions to yourself?

I really hope you don’t. The best thing about social media channels is the rich tapestry of ideas and views. The world needs these ideas and thoughts, and your marketing is often better for it.

The best way to stand out online is to have a view on something. There are some celebs who make a career out of disagreeing with the masses.

I don’t recommend that… but then sometimes I do that myself, so long as it’s true to my values and beliefs.

Opinions drive emotions and that drives clicks and reach

So often, that clickbait content we all hate, works. More often than not, those shock jocks or TV folk who love a bun fight win the headlines.

We like a bit of friction, a little disagreement, a little scrap, if you like. When you blend in and keep yourself to yourself, you don’t gain attention.

“Annoy people on purpose for clicks, Todd?”

No, unless you’re Piers Morgan or Rob Moore and that controversial content is a core part of your strategy and brand, you shouldn’t. But have a view. Have an opinion. And please – post about it.

You might get the odd negative or opposing comment, but that’s part and parcel of the game. You’re gonna get them; just be ready to breathe, smile, and reply if you need to, or scroll on if you want to.

You might not be able to control the negative comments, but you can control how you respond to them.

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