Article | Social Media And Politics

(written 2015 and previously published on Teenage Mysticism)

For many years social media has been getting slack from well-meaning parents and unknowing elders. Fears about “stranger danger”, horror stories all too easy to find (basically catfish the tv show) and relentless reports in more traditional media about the issues of online bullying and scamming. But are those with fear failing to see something bigger? And has social media become one of our most valuable resources in the battle to stay conscientious and knowledgeable?
A morning scroll through Instagram for me consist of outfits, pictures of people’s breakfasts, selfies, a photo of what my best friend got up to yesterday, and a post explaining the issue of trans-misogyny. Twitter keeps me up to date with the Sandra Bland case and the still current problem of racism, and facebook prompts me to sign petitions against fox hunting. Within fifteen minutes I can be caught up on the most pressing social/political issues around the world that day.

Of course it truly depends on what accounts you follow, but for me social media is full of opportunities, positivity, knowledge and tolerance. Accounts promoting body positivity, explaining feminism, improving peoples understanding of LGBT issues that fill my timeline are invaluable. One simple tweet can help people understand and be more tolerant of an issue- It’s educational. But also, I believe social media has become an extremely effective form of protest in this modern age. Hashtags like “#icantbreathe”, “#sandrabland” and “#blacklivesmatter” have hundreds of thousands of posts all calling for justice, urging people to protest against police brutality and speaking out about racism in the police force. These hashtags and the spreading of videos, photos, and evidence prompted mass protests in major cities and caused public outcry towards cases where the truth is clearly being withheld.

It appears to me that traditional media such as newspapers and the 6 o clock news seem so willing to criticise social media, yet remain left in the dust as online articles written by teenagers in their bedroom are providing much more valuable information on social and political issues than the daily new bulletins. Why is it that I watch the news every day but have barely seen anything about Sandra Bland yet when I go on twitter almost every other tweet is on the subject? Why was the fight to get Leelah Alcorn’s chosen name put on her grave rather than her male birth name splashed all over Instagram but never even mentioned in the newspaper? Why is it that when protests against social injustices are going on the news is too busy reporting on the royal baby waving at a camera? I think traditional media could do with spending more time on social media and take a leaf out of it’s book it terms of what is important to society.

I’m not naïve. I totally understand fears about the internet and social media. Worries about child grooming and identity theft are totally valid but you just have to stay careful and remember that privacy settings and protection laws have come a long way since social media began. Although there are clear ‘risks’ involved with social media, I think it’s worth it. Personally social media has allowed me to share my writing, broaden my future prospects, learn about social issues I had no idea existed a year ago, expand my understanding on issues and then help educate others. In 2015, now many jobs involve the use of the internet, some people have full time jobs that stem from their social media and some of the most successful people under 30 are now bloggers and vloggers who turned their social media presence into a career. If people let their fears of “stranger danger” keep them from embracing social media then they would miss out greatly on more than just some cute pictures of cats.

 I often get into arguments with my Dad who believes I’m too ‘one sided’ on issues and that I don’t know enough about subjects to make a decision about it. But personally, I think in a society that has seen a growth in acceptance and understanding, the older generations who still haven’t fully embraced social media are at risk of becoming one sided.

If issues I’ve heard about on social media do manage to hit the national news, I always seem to notice changes in how they’re reported (they always seem to side with the American government but that’s none of my business…). I think national news is often guilty of belittling social issues- Malala Yousafzai was a young girl shot by the Taliban, not an activist, the name Caitlyn Jenner is always followed by “formerly Bruce Jenner, athlete and keeping up with the kardashians star” never “trans-woman bringing great visibility to the transgender community”, Sandra Bland is just a black woman not a black rights activist and victims of police brutality such as Mike Brown seem to always be labelled a thug.  I truly believe that nowadays if you relied on only traditional media for your knowledge you would never get the full story as important social issues are constantly being compacted into a 2 minute news story thrown in to fill sometime in the bulletin. In my last argument with my Dad I realised that he thinks i don’t know enough about subjects because he doesn’t have twitter. My dad doesn’t see me retweeting articles and sharing posts about issues so to him my facts are seen as opinions because what he believe to be the epitome of knowledge (bbc breakfast news) didn’t tell him about it. And that is exactly why social media should be embraced and not feared.

I am thankful for my twitter, my Instagram and my facebook. For me, my morning scroll is valuable and necessary. I’m a firm believer that it is important to stay up-to-date with what’s going on in the world and in 2015 I can do that just by logging in and taking the time to read a first person account of a teen stuck in a war zone, or an article about racism in the jobs market. While my parents fear for my safety, I silently fear for their knowledge as I constantly find myself explaining the basic concepts of large scale movement they’ve never heard of.