Infuriated and with a furrowed brow – I didn’t even know what a furrowed brow was until then – I stared at my computer screen.
A classmate of mine had posted one of my Times stories to a popular Facebook page called Seen at Algonquin College 2014-2015.
“I have no reason to follow stupid news like this,” said Joel Samson, a computer systems technician student at Algonquin. “All just brain-melting media.”
The comments ranged from angry and deconstructive, to misinformed statements about what the article was actually about.
I had come to terms with most of the comments. When you write an article about a sensitive issue, like allegations of conspiring to facilitate terrorist activity, you have to be ready to accept some backlash.
“Why would we see news like this in a college newspaper?” asked Evan Desai.
That comment pushed me over the edge. The article was about a former Algonquin student.
With a group of classmates crowded around my laptop, gawking at my reaction, I started writing out a comment.
“Did you even read it?”
I hit enter, sending the comment through Algonquin’s wireless infrastructure to Seen at Algonquin College 2014-2015.
Before the comment had even appeared on the page, I was clicking to delete it. I realized that there were better ways to articulate my frustration.
But journalism isn’t the only field where a contributor puts their own work out for the public to judge. There are all sorts of people that have to deal with this.
So if you’re an artist, actor, writer, musician or anyone that makes contributions to the culture we’ve made here at Algonquin, don’t let people drag you down.
Negative comments and reactions to a piece of work you put out can be as simple as a miscommunication.
And if someone just has a genuine opposition to your creations, try and see it from their perspective. It can only help you improve your work.
People will tell you that your work is awful, even if it isn’t. Don’t let it drag you down, use it to your advantage and improve your work.