UNITED STATES—I have warned people about this in the past, but it seems it goes in one ear and out the other. Social media is a very dangerous place and for a multitude of reasons. Some of you might be fully aware about the big news that transpired this week with comedienne and actress Roseanne Barr unleashing a tweet that was simply unfathomable. When someone first told me the news I thought they were joking, but it was no joke Roseanne found herself the talk of the town and with the snap of a finger, her hot reboot “Roseanne” was cancelled by ABC.

Yes, the major TV network pulled the plug on the series that debuted to massive numbers in March and was renewed for a second season within days of its debut. The series had plenty of relevance tackling tough subject matters that not so many Americans care to chat about. However, I want to direct this conversation to the dangers of social media. We live in a world where today everyone has one goal in mind: to make ourselves relevant in the world today.

Without a doubt, I believe social media is a good thing. It gives Americans an opportunity to publicize and discuss issues of importance. I’d like to believe that social media is an opportunity to allow people to connect with those who aren’t always in close vicinity to them. However, in recent years, it seems outlets like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are now used to boost our egos. Now wait a second before you start to say that is not the case.

Let’s discuss the idea of the selfie. Please tell me your definition of what a selfie is and more importantly why someone takes one. They want the rest of the world to notice them and to see what they are doing. It’s that plain and that simple. Social media has become the new norm of life, if you’re not on social media you’re not relevant and it’s kind of sad if you truly think about it. If one is not taking a picture, he or she is tweeting something inflammatory or controversial. Like what the hell. What the hell was Roseanne Barr thinking when she hit send on that utterly disturbing, insensitive, stupid and just ignorant tweet about Valerie Jarrett?

I get so sick and tired of people making excuses. I was sleep deprived, I was drunk, I was on medication. How about if all those things are accurate, you don’t have technology in your hands or at your fingertips? Roseanne was put through the ringer yesterday on social media. Not only did she face the backlash from Hollywood (this happens all the time someone says something stupid), but her cast mates and the rest of America also tossed their two cents into the melee. I’m not defending Barr in any fashion, what she did was wrong and she has already suffered an epic fate as a result of her choice. However, I’m a firm believer constantly badgering someone doesn’t do anything. Roseanne made it crystal clear where she stands on certain issues and her latest tweet proves plenty about her character.

Let’s be honest nearly a year ago no one was talking about Roseanne and with the return of the series she became a hot commodity. However, being popular again wasn’t enough and she had to put even more attention on herself this time it backlashed in such an epic fashion that I was baffled. I absolutely think ABC did the right thing by cancelling the series, but I’m more upset about all the individuals who worked on the hit series “Roseanne.”

All of these people are out of a job, not just the actors and actresses, but the production crew, the makeup team, the lighting team and so many others. People relying on that paycheck now have to look elsewhere for employment because of someone else’s careless choice. Why aren’t people ‘woke’ to think about what they are tweeting or posting on social media before they do it? That is question I don’t think will ever be answered. People just don’t care or worse, they don’t consider the ramifications of a tweet or post until it’s already too late.

Just because we have social media at our fingertips does not mean we have to tweet or post about every single thing that transpires in life or how we think or how we feel. I’m starting to think social media is the new form of alcohol. If you really want to get to know a person’s true intentions, how they think and how they feel all you have to do is check out their social media accounts. It may be much more revealing than many people expect.