Decades into the digital age, I believe we can all agree there are a lot of benefits to digital media.

From a business standpoint, Leader Publications’ website, Facebook and Twitter pages have allowed us to increase our reach tenfold, thus informing and engaging with more readers who care about southwest Michigan.

We are able to share information quickly in the event of breaking news, sometimes even from the scene of the incident with just a few taps on our smartphones.

We can share information in new ways — through photo galleries and video packages, polls and live videos.

Like we have offered in our letters to the editor section for decades, our digital supplements allow space for readers to respond to what they read. However, as anyone who has spent an extensive amount of time on social media knows, monitoring comment sections is no easy feat. Unlike our letters to the editor section which is carefully regulated to ensure that conversation does not get out of hand, social media comments do not require approval, thus resulting in a bit more of a free flowing conversation.

The downside of this free flowing conversation is that, behind the protection of their computer screen, many commenters are much more comfortable with confrontation. Unable to read the expressions on one another’s faces as we engage in conversation, tempers often get heated and feelings often hurt.

Difference in opinion often results in anger, because without constant regulation of these comment sections, social media users are quite literally left to their devices.

Niles Mayor Nick Shelton taught us this lesson last week after dialoguing with a commenter on his page about an impending power plant coming to Niles. He shared his experience on Facebook:

While citizens and neighbors may not always agree with decisions the City Council and I make, I hope they trust that those decisions are always meant to be in their (your) best interest.

In a recent post, a neighbor expressed many points of contention regarding something that I support. After several comments by each of us, it was apparent that we would continue to disagree (which is fine). When the question of my character came into play, however, I took it upon myself to visit my neighbor, and have a face-to-face discussion regarding the issues at hand, and specifically to get a better understanding of his viewpoints, and hopefully for him to understand where I was coming from, too.

By the end of the discussion, we still didn’t agree. But we understood (and even appreciated!) each other’s perspectives.

The point here is this: while social media/text/etc. are important means of communication, nothing beats an in-person discussion between adults.

Thanks, neighbor, for taking the time to talk.

As the mayor shared, it is important that those engaging in conversations online approach discourse in a mature way. Sometimes that means knowing when to power down the Facebook app.

Mayor Shelton’s lesson was a valuable one we should all keep in mind as we navigate the digital world: Social media is a great way to share information, but the best way to have honest conversations remains good old-fashioned face-to-face.