2025
Can’t Stop Reading Negative Comments? Neither Could I
November 2025

Can’t Stop Reading Negative Comments? Neither Could I

By Amberleigh Bigler

Church Magazines

Social media comment sections weakened my spirit. General conference strengthened me.

an illustrated figure holding a phone and looking distressed while many hands make a thumbs-down motion at her

I consider myself a quiet bystander on social media. I’m very selective of the things I like, I only leave comments on my closest friends’ posts, and I have never been very vocal about my personal beliefs online.

I thought this would keep me safe from becoming part of all the contention and negativity on social media, but I was wrong. I might not have contributed to it, but recently my light has diminished with every controversial headline I read and every angry comment section I open.

I started feeling hopeless.

I felt like the world was beyond fixing, we would always be divided, and my faith would never be respected by others.

Then I watched general conference.

Turning to Christ

Elder Michael Cziesla of the Seventy said, “In a world that is increasingly secular, complex, and confusing, … how can we avoid our eyes becoming blinded and our hearts becoming hardened and remain focused on the ‘plain and precious things’ of the gospel of Jesus Christ [1 Nephi 13:28]?”

He continued, “The small and simple things of the gospel and faithfully focusing on Christ lead us to true joy.”

Had I been looking for solace in all the wrong places?

Keeping myself informed about current events is important to me. But instead of just staying informed, I was letting myself be consumed. Worse, instead of turning to Christ to help me feel peace, I searched for validation from people I didn’t even know.

I had forgotten one of the simplest gospel truths: Christ is always ready to guide us. None of us are out here on our own. When I saw things that confused or angered me, He was the first one I should have looked to.

Sticking with What I Know to Be True

Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said: “Before posting, replying, or commenting online, ask, Will this build a bridge? If not, stop. Do not send. Instead, share goodness. Publish peace in the place of hate.”

I might not have been publishing hate, but I certainly was reading a lot of it. And when you read post after post about something, you can start believing that it’s true.

Listening to general conference made me realize that I needed to stop letting strangers on the internet tell me how I should feel. I needed to start relying on my own testimony of the gospel to navigate difficult current events and hatred being hurled at the things I love.

Learning from Conference

Sometimes it’s hard to know who to believe, when to read more, when to stand up for our beliefs, and when to let things go. But during conference, I learned a few things:

  1. My faith might not always be respected, but I can pray to know when to stand up for it when it’s insulted by others.

  2. People are divided right now, but there is joy to be had as we turn our focus to Christ.

  3. The world isn’t beyond fixing, and neither are we. We can make the world a better place as we love one another.

Now when I open social media, I know that I can find harmony even in darkness. I can stand true to my beliefs even when they aren’t popular and love others even when we disagree. We are all children of God, and we can all turn to Christ to find peace.