Unlocking Social media

Unlocking Social Media...Virtues and Vices

Nabrissa Badu

*Opinion*

All of us, (well I for one) can attest to several occasions where metaphorically-speaking, going ‘off grid’ seems far more appealing than watching one more Instagram cat video or seeing another golden, smooth-skinned and abnormally perfect selfie. Just me?

This is not that article that will bash social media and attempt a movement to banish it to the ether. Rather, from a student point of view, I will explore the negatives and positives of the world that hides behind our phone passcodes, how it shapes our culture today, and how we can unlock its full potential.

The rise of social media in the 2000s saw platforms such as MySpace quickly become the largest social media service between 2005 and 2008. The platform enjoyed a brief period during its prime years whereby it surpassed Google as the most visited website in the US. Teens relished the newfound ability to spend time with their school friends by day and connect with their internet ones by night. A few simple searches and clicks could connect a 16-year-old in the UK with another across the world. Considering methods of international communication of the past, such speed and ease of contact would surely have been a much-welcomed replacement to the messages sailed in bottles, mailed by carrier pigeons, and tapped out in telegrams. MySpace gave the teenagers their own small corner of the internet: a place that they could customize how they liked, blog to anyone who would read it, and share the buzz of what was current in 2000s culture.

However, when we think of social media today, that is most definitely not the first platform that comes to mind. Most of us are too young to remember or missed the age of humanity’s first digital community that was characterized by the 2000s pop and emo culture that faces extinction today. So if we missed the age of lower lip piercings and My Chemical Romance chat rooms what characterises our generation of social media? I’d like to think the answer lies in social movements and youth activism. At a micro-level, platforms such as Whatsapp and Facebook can be enjoyed as an easily accessible place to stay in touch with your not-so-tech-savvy grandma. However, on a larger scale, social media is defined by the emergence of powerful platforms such as Instagram, Tiktok and Twitter that facilitate all kinds of activism. July 2021 will mark the 8th anniversary of the use of the #blacklivesmatter hashtag. Whether you are passionate to support gender rights, men’s mental health, the battle against Asain hate or the climate crisis, social media offers a place to voice your support for the issues that matter to you as well as a mechanism to connect with public figures that lead the cause. Although along with this comes a façade of performative activism also known as ‘slacktivism’, numerous social movements hosted on or aided by social media have helped bring about change or widespread awareness. Whilst we are here, there’s no harm in addressing the distinction between an ‘activist’ and ‘slacktivist’. ‘Slacktivism’, in a sense, could be considered a useful contribution to the cause as drawing awareness to an issue even if the full intention isn’t there can still be useful to the cause. However having a genuine passion for the cause you are advocating for rather than a false interest, is clearly translated and more likely to create longer-lasting change.

Social media serves as a place for voices to be amplified but it could be argued that we are beginning to underestimate the power of social media despite its uniqueness in comparison to other forms of media. Through one tweet a sexual assault survivor can disclose a story that has haunted them for years; sharing a link to a petition can lead to attention on a parliamentary level; posting images and videos can clearly communicate injustices that can not be ignored once they are seen. In reaction to George Floyd’s death in May of 2020, Kelsy Kretschmer, a professor of sociology at Oregon State University has discussed how the power of images communicates a need for change in new and more powerful ways. She says ‘You can see the threads of that happening still. George Floyd’s death matters to more people because there was footage of it happening. And it’s much different than reading an account in a newspaper,”. The impact of images and videos on social media for the use of societal change can be likened to the use of television during the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. The visual communication that social media is built upon allows people to see things for themselves and respond independently in a way they deem necessary. Footage of George Floyd's death circulated on social media resulting in a united reaction that saw millions demand justice on the issue of police brutality that the video communicated. Social media arguably aids a rational response to societal issues, giving us access to things that otherwise may have been difficult to see for ourselves: We see, we judge, we act.

The COVID-19 pandemic has seen the voices of numerous marginalised groups amplified. During a time when activism could have been completely silenced, it appears with the help of social media, voices for societal change have been louder than ever. Although the pandemic hit the UK hard during 2020, since then, movements such as BLM, Marcus Rashford’s open letter for free school meals, student rent strikes in Manchester University, calls for female safety in light of Sarah Everard’s death and calls to stop Asian Hate, have all been amplified by social media. Such events exemplify how social media has been and continues to play a part in the changing face of activism.

Additionally to social media's ability to shape the way we create political and societal change, what we see on social media has a large effect on our societal culture. Be it in reference to fashion, design, entertainment or culture, the concept of a ‘trend’ seems to run our society as we know it. Trends that experience widespread adoption can mould public reaction at that moment in time, resulting in a united and common behaviour. I use the term ‘trend’ in reference to an ‘inclination towards style’, only briefly touching upon the strange ‘viral challenges’ that swarmed the internet in 2015, and have been since revived by the platform TikTok. Mainly, I refer to trends as the shifts in public behaviour and interest largely due to content that is shared in the powerful realm of social media. The ways in which this is achieved and its implications deserve a plethora of articles independent to this one, however, to touch upon the point in brief, ‘trends’ facilitated by social media have created a culture of fast-paced change whereby it feels as soon as you have sprinted to the platform to stay on track, the trend you were chasing has already gone, and the next one, arrived. It could be argued that the fast-paced society generated by instant messaging has affected the industries within it namely the fashion and music industry, whereby what is considered ‘trendy’ changes so quickly that material is pumped out continuously (and in my opinion rather cheaply) in order to stay with the times. Arguably this has resulted in a culture of waste: as soon as we lose interest and catch on to the next trend, the speed of the digital age offers us a new focus that will momentarily steal our attention until we lose it again. This can be clearly seen by social media’s ability to dictate and communicate a public consensus. Varying algorithms across different social media platforms track factors such as the volume of user interest to define what is ‘trending’, which usually draws additional attention in a sort of ‘snowball effect’ way. Clearer than, ever with the use of features such as Trending on Twitter or Youtube, can businesses see a prominent public interest and capitalise off of it. As social beings, staying on track with what is going on is valuable. Author Patrick J.Mc Ginnis coined the term ‘FOMO’ back in the early 2000s. Since then 'FOMO' has been explored as a genuine psychological reaction to anxieties experienced by social media users from feelings of social exclusion or isolation from an event one is not a part of. To play devil's advocate against the prevailing and well-supported argument that links social media with poor mental health, an alternative argument (and a weaker one I am aware) may suggest that rather than isolating individuals, social media may rather connect them and allow inclusion in a virtual way- just a thought. Although it may feel intrusive to be so closely analysed for what you and those around you are eating, watching, wearing, listening to and speaking about, an optimistic argument would suggest social media's role in generating ‘trends’ and thus a broad public attitude is the 21st Century's way of creating a more unified society. A coherent and definitive public attitude is displayed allowing people to feel included in current events or part of the conversation prominent at the given time. Contrastingly, the way in which this data is obtained and used (see the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal) uncovers a worrying reality that comes with social media development. Although social media can unite us and display a common societal understanding in ways we have not seen before, there appears to be a darker undertone as to how this is achieved and how it so forcibly shapes society. However, that is another discussion for another time…

In an age where social media can either make or break us as a society, I think the one thing I would like to conclude this article with is to suggest that each of us should enjoy the platforms but carefully. Each app offers us an opportunity to connect with people, things and causes we care about; to have our voices amplified during times, as seen with the pandemic, it is difficult to be heard. Social media continues to shape our society: the clothes we wear, the things that entertain us, the way we learn and communicate. To unlock this potential, being careful is of utmost importance. Each individual user has their own ability to either stand for or against the social change that social media can be used to facilitate. Alternatively, the content that you put out there can either stand against or perpetuate the things in society that we are not so proud of, and are widely related to our use of social media. I speak in reference to the underlying cultures of hate.

The data on your social media is yours, but you must be aware of how much of it you are giving away if and when you blindly agree to these apps. Remember, the option of going ‘‘off grid’’ to avoid Instagram cat videos or Kylie Jenner selfies is always there, especially if it feels like sometimes the vices of social media are beginning to outweigh the virtues.