Social Media/Death/Sensory Overload And The African American Psyche

Whatever has the most access to the brain rules the brain. The brain is our built-in camera that constantly takes pictures consciously and subconsciously. 90% of the information stored in our brain is visual. Therefore, pictures are easier to process than text. In fact, the brain processes pictures 60,000 times faster than text and that fact is my segue into Social Media/Death/Sensory Overload And The African American Psyche.

67% of African Americans are on Facebook. The advent of Facebook and smartphones has brought upon a social culture without censorship. Especially in the African American community where “hood fights” are normally trending on our timelines at some point during the day. More and more police brutality is being captured on camera whether the victim survives or is unfortunately murdered. This creates outrage among black people and we tend to view these pictures and videos of savage beatings and murder over and over and over again. Then there’s the #BlackLivesMatter vs #AllLivesMatter argument and the “hero” cop vs the “thug” deceased victim. With a history of injustice towards blacks in this country, we automatically assume that a grand jury or jury will find that the homicide was justifiable.

This behavior of constantly viewing and sharing and arguing along with a 400+ year history of injustice is unhealthy to the African American psyche. It can bring on disorders such as depression, stress,and insomnia which can weaken your immune system leaving your body vulnerable to outside agencies. Proper precaution and conditioning for the mind, body, and spirit can be deep breathing exercise, yoga,meditation, and even prayer. Even a nice walk in the park can help relax your body. These preventative measures should be taken daily regardless of the situation for mental, physical and spiritual health. In the words of Whitley Gilbert from A Different World, ‘Relax, Relate, Release. Like my page on www.facebook.com/maxdout365/