Think Before You Post

To Post, or Not to Post? That Is the Question.

During a high intensity news cycle like the one we are in now, many White folks are tempted to take to social media to post many of our feelings and opinions, and to repost much of the material we see related to racism and the most recent events in the Black Community. However, we need to be thoughtful about what our online contribution is to the conversation and how we are using our voices. We need to think about whether our social media anti-racist presence reflects our IRL anti-racist presence. Most of all, we need to take time to reflect before we participate in any online forum to consider why we are choosing to post and what impact our posts will have.

Some Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Social Media Presence

Before you post anything (more), ask yourself the following questions:

• Do I have the history of anti-racism to back up this post? Am I (and have I been) taking actions in my daily life prior to recent events to educate myself about racism and its history? Have I spoken up regularly before this? If I am new to anti-racism, do I really have enough preparation to be one of its voices in the world of social media?

• What is the goal of posting this post? Is it just about optics? If your goal is to spread the word about resources, ask yourself if people in your network would not yet have seen it. If your goal is to demonstrate solidarity, ask yourself if that's the most effective way you can show solidarity. If your goal is to help the cause, ask yourself if are there other ways you can help that might be more impactful. If your goal is to educate others, ask yourself if there are people who follow you who need that particular education. If your goal is to start a conversation, ask yourself who your audience is and whether it is your conversation to start. Be careful to avoid optical allyship.

• Is what I'm posting traumatic or damaging? If you're posting images or videos of Black folks being abused, remind yourself that this can be extremely triggering and painful for Black people to see. If you want to share images, try looking for art created by Black artists around the issue. If you are sharing protest footage, be sure that you are thinking about the safety of protestors (do not post anyone with their face or identifying markers showing) and the image of protestors (do not post images that make protestors appear violent or out of control). If you have video you have actually taken from protests, follow the advice of this article regarding police misconduct or brutality.

• Do I know the information I'm providing is coming from a reliable source? While consuming the news, look for news sources with a history of reporting on these issues. Promote Black-run sources, especially. Pay attention to whether the language of the news source you are using implicitly encourages racism or bias. Look for words that assign blame or use non-neutral adjectives as clues. Read up on the activists you share. Some have problematic relationships with the communities they represent.

• Am I focusing my post on myself? This is not about White people or our feelings. You can share those feelings in person with other White people, but centering the public conversation around yourself takes away from the focus on the communities actually affected by racism.

• Is there a more productive way for me to join the cause of anti-racism? If you have the money, you can donate to organizations helping people on the front lines. If you have time, you can call politicians. If you have family members who are racist, you can have hard conversations with them. If you have Black friends, you can support them emotionally by checking in on them and letting them know you are there. If you are new to all of this, you can spend this time to focus on educating yourself. Ask yourself where else, besides social media, you could be having an impact (your family, your friend group, your workplace).

• Can I take action that I can commit to longterm? Plan out how you will do the work to understand your own privilege and use it to create equity. Task yourself with continuing to read, watch, listen, and learn about racism. Consider ways you can address racism in your daily life, from supporting Black coworkers, to consuming art and products created by people of color, to joining and funding organizations whose goal is eliminating racism and supporting Black communities.