And then, just days before the referendum, Hamas stormed across the Israeli border, killing more than 1200 civilians and kidnapping hundreds more.

In those early days, it felt like every account I followed was posting support for either Israel or Palestine. Understandably, people reacted strongly, but what I didn’t expect was to see friendships break down as differing views clashed. Nasty messages were sent, people were blocked and unfollowed, and it’s unlikely that the broken relationships will ever be revived.

Where I initially viewed these conflicts as a sad waste of good friendships, my thinking on this has slowly shifted. Friendships are complex, and so is social media.

A lot of the time, it can feel like political posts exist only for virtue signalling, unlikely to result in any tangible change for the issues they support. But the reality is that our digital lives are now as important and central to our identities and relationships as our “real” lives are. For better or worse, our online lives and physical lives have become inextricably intertwined. I wouldn’t compromise my morals if I were discussing something in real life, so why would I censor myself online?

If someone doesn’t like the messages I post, whether it’s on the killing of Palestinian civilians by Israeli soldiers or cautioning people against buying pedigree dogs, I have no problem with them removing themselves from my feed; that’s their right. Ideally, it wouldn’t affect our relationship in person, but if it does, then it means we were unlikely to remain long-term friends anyway.

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My online platforms are there for my expression, and aside from being controlled by the social media companies themselves, I don’t want to censor myself. I don’t want anyone else to, either.

For those who find social media being used for political or personal beliefs uncomfortable, make liberal use of the “mute” and “unfollow” buttons. Just as I want my accounts to be a place where I can safely express my views, yours should be the same. And if we meet in person? Well, we can always talk about the weather.

Zoya Patel is an author and freelance writer from Canberra.

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