Social Media and Political Discourse… Positive or Negative?
Writer’s Blog 3
In the digital age of social media, a new kind of activism has emerged that allows for information to be shared in a way that is widely accessible to people from all over the world. A prominent positive example of the way social media shapes political discourse is through citizen journalism, or the ability of the general public to be able to share and analyze news or events usually on the internet. Social media makes it easier for people to participate in social and political action. Not only are they more aware of world events and able to get a wealth of different perspectives on the subject, but it is easier to simply join a social media group, sign a petition, or donate online. Though easy information flow and being able to participate in social events with ease may seem like great traits, some believe that social media and politics should not go together as misinformation can be spread and participation does not require really committing to a cause (Jones & Hafner, 2012). I, however, argue that digital political discourses are not half commitments to discussing social issues, but endeavors that have serious real-world positive and negative effects. Just because the information is spread on social media does not mean it does not have very tangible effects on the lives of real people.
While there are some very positive effects of social media activism, social media also allows for very negative political discourses. For example, an article by Jessie Daniels (2017) outlines the deep and quite scary connections between Twitter and white supremacy. Whether it is perpetuating racism or harassing black and Jewish people online, social media can prove to be a very hateful place when it comes to political action.
Platforms such as Twitter, 4chan, and Reddit allow “the spread of white nationalist symbols and ideas [to be] accelerated and amplified by algorithms”
— (Daniels, 2017).
Do social media platforms promote more positive or negative social discourse? Can it be used as an effective tool for social action and the dissemination of information, or is it just a breeding ground for hate?
An interesting intersection of hate and activism can be found in hashtag use. As such, someone can use #BLM in a tweet to bring attention to and speak against police brutality, or they can use it to speak out against the movement. Therefore, when someone searches for a hashtag, they see both sides of an issue. On social media, our attention is typically towards things the algorithm thinks we want to see, but hashtags allow people to discuss their polar opposite opinions on the same issue.
This issue of hashtag activism has actually become a discussion amongst anthropologists as they discuss the possibility of using “hashtag ethnography.” Can a hashtag be used as a field site by which to analyze an event from multiple points of view?
“The increased use and availability of these technologies has provided marginalized and racialized populations with new tools for documenting incidents of state-sanctioned violence and contesting media representations of racialized bodies and marginalized communities” — (Bonilla & Rosa, 2015).
With this newfound kind of activism and information sharing, should Twitter be considered a field site to be studied by anthropologists? In their article, Bonilla and Rosa (2015) discuss how hashtags on platforms such as Twitter can indeed be used to search for millions of personal accounts and opinions on an event, and the ability to see something from all angles.
Does it feel a little bit dystopian for anthropologists to be on Twitter conducting hashtag ethnography? Maybe a little. But as has been demonstrated, the kind of political and social effects seen on platforms such as Twitter through tools like hashtags are not insignificant. Social media has created many positive examples of social activism and information sharing, but it has also created a significant amount of hate where racism goes unchecked. What do we do? Where do we draw the line between “freedom of speech” and violence? Digital discourses are not something to be taken lightly, as their effects are widespread and very real.
References:
Bonilla, Y. and Rosa, J. (2015), #Ferguson: Digital protest, hashtag ethnography, and the racial politics of social media in the United States. American Ethnologist, 42: 4–17. https://doi.org/10.1111/amet.12112
Daniels, J. (2017), Twitter and White Supremacy, A Love Story. Dame Magazine. https://www.damemagazine.com/2017/10/19/twitter-and-white-supremacy-love-story/
