Opinions // Politics // Activism
Is Social Media Increasing the Number of Bystanders?
When I was little, I was taught to tattle when I saw something bad. I was told the way to stand up to bullying was not to do anything, but simply to say something. I am often guilty of this. I am guilty of saying something and thinking that it is enough to enact change. I am guilty of liking a status, sharing an image, or writing a blog about an injustice, then feeling satisfied because I have told others about this and maybe they will enact change.
Perhaps we have been placated into believing that posts and comments can replace real life actions and interactions. Perhaps we have been given a placebo. Perhaps we feel like Martin Luther King Junior, when we are just Edward Snowden. Perhaps sharing information can change things, but what if all it does is rally those in agreement and alienate everyone else? What if our social media crusades are not crusades at all? What if that "you" the article is so poignantly preaching to simply nods and shares and hopes the next reader will do something? But what if that "you" is actually an us or even more specifically a me.
Over the past few months, I have noticed an increase in political articles and opinions on social media. Sharing opinions with friends is not a bad thing, however, if that is the extent of our political activism, then it's just political passivism. Likes, comments, and shares are all worthless. Though they offer us immediate gratification or actions in virtual reality do not change our present situation.
If we are truly passionate, then our fervor cannot stop with a Facebook rant. If we truly care, then our dialogue must exist outside of the comment section. If we want be truly active we must do more than simply speak out for what we believe is right. Think of opinions and activism as a significant other. If all we ever do is talk in abstract terms about our significant other, but never personally interact with it, then how can we say we care? If all we do is tell other people about our significant other, but do not spend our time and money on it, how passionate are we really? If I was married, signed all the right documents and changed my relationship status, but did not ever interact with my spouse in real life, then what kind of relationship would that be? In the same way, if I call myself pro-life or pro-choice, republican or democrat, pro-guns or anti-guns, pro-immigration or anti-immigration, but all I ever do is register to vote for that party, change my political view on Facebook, and post about it, how passionate can I really be about these things I convince myself I am a political activist. We must invest more than pixels and words into a cause to make a difference.
Take cancer. Who isn't anti-cancer? It is one thing to dislike cancer or even to be "anti-cancer", but associating with a movement is not the same thing as actively doing something to rid the world of cancer. If I talk about how awful cancer is, but don't donate money towards cancer research or care for those with cancer, what am I really doing other than shouting empty words upon empathetic ears?
Not only does social media quench our thirst for social activism, but it distances us from the other side and from the actual issue. The "others" are soon a villianized, dehumanized group of opinions instead of people. We preach about what the "others" need to think and do. We tell them they are not working hard enough or doing enough for their cause and for other causes. With the same breath we preach the superiority of our side without looking into ourselves and our movements and holding ourselves to the same standard. Are we telling others to do things that we are not willing to do ourselves. Are we overgeneralizing or oversimplifying issues that are more complicated than we could ever imagine? Do we see the "others" as passionate humans who need to be loved and not screamed at? Do we see the "others" as less valuable than the subjects of the cause we defend? Do we see the "others" as less human than the people affected by our cause?
When we cease to see the humanity in humans, we all fail. When we hold others to standards higher than we hold ourselves, we all fail. When we are satisfied with preaching and never practice, we all fail.
It starts with a letter to someone who can change things. It starts with a dollar towards and organization that helps your cause. It starts with an hour caring for someone else. Political activism is not something meant to be constrained to a screen, we must do more. We are the change we wish to see in the world because the only one in the world that I can change is me.
If we are truly passionate, then our fervor cannot stop with a Facebook rant. If we truly care, then our dialogue must exist outside of the comment section. If we want be truly active we must do more than simply speak out for what we believe is right. Think of opinions and activism as a significant other. If all we ever do is talk in abstract terms about our significant other, but never personally interact with it, then how can we say we care? If all we do is tell other people about our significant other, but do not spend our time and money on it, how passionate are we really? If I was married, signed all the right documents and changed my relationship status, but did not ever interact with my spouse in real life, then what kind of relationship would that be? In the same way, if I call myself pro-life or pro-choice, republican or democrat, pro-guns or anti-guns, pro-immigration or anti-immigration, but all I ever do is register to vote for that party, change my political view on Facebook, and post about it, how passionate can I really be about these things I convince myself I am a political activist. We must invest more than pixels and words into a cause to make a difference.
Take cancer. Who isn't anti-cancer? It is one thing to dislike cancer or even to be "anti-cancer", but associating with a movement is not the same thing as actively doing something to rid the world of cancer. If I talk about how awful cancer is, but don't donate money towards cancer research or care for those with cancer, what am I really doing other than shouting empty words upon empathetic ears?
Not only does social media quench our thirst for social activism, but it distances us from the other side and from the actual issue. The "others" are soon a villianized, dehumanized group of opinions instead of people. We preach about what the "others" need to think and do. We tell them they are not working hard enough or doing enough for their cause and for other causes. With the same breath we preach the superiority of our side without looking into ourselves and our movements and holding ourselves to the same standard. Are we telling others to do things that we are not willing to do ourselves. Are we overgeneralizing or oversimplifying issues that are more complicated than we could ever imagine? Do we see the "others" as passionate humans who need to be loved and not screamed at? Do we see the "others" as less valuable than the subjects of the cause we defend? Do we see the "others" as less human than the people affected by our cause?
When we cease to see the humanity in humans, we all fail. When we hold others to standards higher than we hold ourselves, we all fail. When we are satisfied with preaching and never practice, we all fail.
It starts with a letter to someone who can change things. It starts with a dollar towards and organization that helps your cause. It starts with an hour caring for someone else. Political activism is not something meant to be constrained to a screen, we must do more. We are the change we wish to see in the world because the only one in the world that I can change is me.
"If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate." 1 Corinthians 13:1
Comments
Post a Comment