Here we go again.

As presidential hopefuls such as Ron DeSantis, and the former president Donald Trump officially announce their bids for the presidency in 2024 we have already entered the dark zone of constant personal criticism and attacks. For the next 18 months, social media users are going to be ranting about candidates and policies.

Next week, will you join the fray? According to rumors, former Vice President Mike Pence is planning on announcing his candidacy for president next week. He will break from Trump’s alliance and run independently.

Almost as reliably as the social media clashes we can expect over Ron DeSantis and President Trump in the coming months, and with predictable salaciousness, there’s already a steady stream of insults appearing on Twitter regarding Pence.

Here’s just a few of the initial tweets causing Pence to trend on Twitter right now:

Those are actually just the very first tweets in my stream. The tweets kept coming, but almost all of them pointed out flaws in the campaign that hasn’t started. Most of them are not that funny and include some insider commentary, like this one: “The fly that landed on Mike Pence during the 2020 VP Debate has as much chance of being President as Pence.”

The sarcasm and jabs that were hurled at each other during the past two presidential elections got to me, particularly since neither side could remain civil. Recent years have seen a mixture of the slow economy, pandemics, racism, far-right sentiment and pure hatred take over social networks at every opportunity. I was happy when the election season finally came to an end and I didn’t have to scroll past all of the barbs.

It’s now suddenly starting all over again, as though the trolls were living in a cave all of this time waiting to re-emerge into the light and start swinging their club again.

What can possibly be done to help?

It is my hope that we have moved far enough from the pandemic, and things are going to be a little more subdued. At least there won’t be all the constant misinformation on social networks or links with questionable sources promoting news stories. We can only dream.

I’m sure seeing Pence trend on Twitter is an indication there is a lot of pent-up rage and emotion. Perhaps the key is to keep your eyes turned away as much as possible.