The ugly side of social media

(FOX 11) - James Hodgkinson wasn't a fan of President Trump. This petition he posted to his Facebook page which calls the President a traitor, It reads "It's time to get rid of him.' Just one of the many posts you've probably seen during an election year many thought was nasty.

USC Social Media Professor Karen North says, "People whose social comparisons, looking up at role models, they learn what to think, how to feel and how to act so, when you have hate speech and the vitriolic nature of the debate these days then its not just the debate."

North points to this famous study from the 60's where kids would punch a bobo doll after seeing an adult do it and even escalate their behavior with a toy gun as their aggravation escalates.

She says people learn by example and that "It teaches people it's okay to act that way. Is it? We took the question to Santa Monica where we found plenty who use social media and felt what you might call the ugly side of cyber life. Social media users admitting the see lots of hate online and have even spewed a little.

NBA legend and sports broadcaster John Salley, who just happened to be in Santa Monica, said, "God, I'm so happy that the whip had his security detail there or we would've had a massacre in America."

He knows the bad side of people.

Salley told us, "I was a professional athlete and I was hated for a lot of things. You have to be like a duck and let it roll off.

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