I love social media, but there’s also a dark side to it that I don’t like.

For me the benefits have been many. I’ve connected with long-lost friends, made hundreds of new ones, and it is the main source of advertising for my books and a way for me to interact with readers.I’ve seen people flock to offer prayers and support when someone is faced with a devastating illness. And I’ve been the recipient of those prayers when finding myself in need of them.And I’ve seen thousands of dollars raised for worthwhile causes such as pediatric cancer, scholarships, funeral expenses.It’s impressive what like-minded people can do when they put their hearts and heads together.Social media is also a way to disseminate information.If it’s factual information, that’s great. Unfortunately, we’re inundated with fake news accounts and overly biased sources.And sadly, thanks in part to social media, there’s an all-out war on mainstream media. As someone who has spent more than 20 years as a journalist, knowing full well the difference between fiction and nonfiction, it’s hard not to take it personally.I’ve seen well-researched, factual stories trashed, despite the reporter’s due diligence to present the information in a clear and objective manner. These stories are posted on social media sites from the news source and while comments are encouraged, they sometimes devolve into criticism and accusations.Too many times I’ve read comments on posts where people begin attacking each other. Name-calling and nastiness are rampant.Because you don’t agree with the information presented, if it’s factual, it doesn’t give you the right to be a jerk.Something I’ve also noticed recently is an upswing in fake accounts, particularly on Twitter and Snapchat. These accounts make it possible for people to go on an all-out assault on someone while hiding behind the anonymity of a phony avatar.While this isn’t what I’d call adult behavior, I’ve seen it carried out by too many adults. Some of us have a thick enough skin to ignore it and consider the source, or the coward hiding behind the source. Some of us don’t.Sadly, by making it so easy to attack someone by just palming your cellphone or sitting at your laptop, we’ve removed the human element of witnessing what our harsh words or hateful discourse can do.And if we as adults participate in this kind of behavior, how can we expect better from our children?Last week a friend of mine posted an obituary on her Facebook page for a young girl from the Nanticoke area.Nina was only 14. Her obituary says she “passed away unexpectedly.” She’s described as a “beautiful, smart, vibrant and fun-loving girl.” She was involved in sports and cheerleading.Despite being described as popular in an article in the Citizen’s Voice, Nina’s parents are convinced she took her own life “after being bullied on social media.”Nina’s mother says there were no warning signs that anything was wrong, although her daughter would sometimes mention that she received insults online. Her mother learned after her daughter’s death these insults were mostly delivered on social media platforms that disappear after the message is sent.So not only can people write horrible things to someone, the evidence evaporates after a short period of time.Gutted over the loss of their daughter, Nina’s parents made a difficult decision by going public with her suicide. Their goal is to encourage other parents to better monitor their children’s social media habits.“If this could save one person, I did my job,” Nina’s mother told the Citizen’s Voice. “I feel like I failed as a mother because I didn’t know.”I disagree. Nina’s mother didn’t fail. The parents whose children thought nothing of tormenting a classmate are the ones who failed.In posting Nina’s obituary, my friend tagged her teenage son, who hadn’t known the girl, and asked him to read the last two lines.“Social media can be dangerous. Please be kind to one another.”I wholeheartedly agree.