Me Too. Social Media: A Tool for Change

Over the last decade, social media has proved to be one of the fastest growing and most influential industries the world has ever seen. We as consumers use social media every day for up to multiple hours for a plethora of different reasons. I myself have seen social media used to advertise businesses, promote personal brands, personal friends and family sharing, promoting events, news updates, shopping and many more. However, one of the most polarizing uses of social media that I have seen in the time that I’ve been an active user, is the use of social media to activate and spread important societal and political movements. There have been countless important movements, that have social media to thank primarily for their enormous success. Movements such as “Kony 2012”, “Black live matter” and NFL players and other professional athletes kneeling for the National anthem. None of these movements would have had the vast publicity they did without the involvement of social media. The use of social media allowed them to reach an infinitely wider audience, while maintaining an easily accessible and user-friendly platform to deliver the content of each movement.

However, this is 2018, and when thinking of social media movements in the past 2017–18 year, there has been none bigger and more impactful than the “Me Too” and “Time’s Up” movement. By now, the idea of the movement is pretty common knowledge to most of us, but for anyone who is uneducated on the subject matter, here’s what the movement is all about. The “Me Too” and “Time’s Up” movement sparked from the systemic sexual abuse and assault that women everywhere have suffered through, for multiple decades. Many famous celebrities have either come out as victims or have been accused of alleged misconduct. It has since snowballed, as the movement has blown up in North America as well as receiving international recognition, with celebrities and public figures all around the world endorsing and supporting the movement. One of the more memorable instances of the movement this year, was the support shown at the 2018 Golden Globes, where all of the female attendees wore black outfits, in support of “Me Too” and “Time’s Up”. However, nothing has worked better than social media, in gaining an audience for the movement.

The “Me Too” movement was started by activist Tarana Burke, in 2006. In a video in December of 2017, as “Me Too” was gaining huge recognition, Burke described how when she was in her early twenties, a young teenage girl mustered up the courage to tell Tarana about sexual violence that she was suffering through with her stepdad, before the girl could finish, Burke shut her down and said “You know what? Baby, I can’t help you.” She talked about how much that experience haunted her, saying “And I kept saying to myself; Tarana, if you could’ve just said ‘Me Too”. The campaign was around for over ten years before it really started to gain traction in 2017. Social media has played a brilliant role in giving the phrases “Me Too” and “Time’s Up” meaning and influence. The main way it’s done this, is simply by saying the words, in a hashtag. The hashtag “#MeToo” and “#Time’sUp” were used for any victims who posted on social media, contributing their stories to the movement. The hashtag not only illuminated the magnitude of the victims affected by sexual violence, but also spoke to the exact message the Tarana Burke had intended; to show support, caring and sense of community to survivors of sexual violence. In addition, I believe the hashtag gaining the popularity that it did, gave victims who were too scared and apprehensive about telling their story, that little bit of extra courage to speak up. This after all, was the main purpose of the movement, to show victims that they’re not alone, and the have a community of support around them, the only difference now, is that because of the effect social media has had, these victims will have an infinitely bigger support system than they could’ve ever imagined.

But after all, this is what social media does. It’s built for connection, and communities coming together (in it’s best qualities). However, even though the overwhelming consensus on the “Me Too” movement has been a positive one, there are critics as well, critics who called into question the way in which social media is used to promote the movement. An article from the Irish Times calls into to question whether or not social media is the right platform for the “Me Too” movement. While praising the movement for all the success it’s garnered and all the incidents it has brought to light, the article also discussed how it can be dangerous to allow social media to be the news breaker for sexual assault allegations. The article is quoted saying “Alleged sexual harassers should not be accused sans evidence on social platforms. The pressing of the ‘tweet’ button when the message contains strong accusations against an unsuspecting ‘perpetrator’ can all of a sudden turn everything nuclear.” This has been a common concern when it comes to social media. Social media has the opportunity to expose injustices through the platform, but as an article by GQ put it “It risks veering to mob justice. This was perhaps highlighted in the case of the ‘Shitty Media Men’ spreadsheet — a list of men about whom women were warning their peers, but which damned those named publicly and without trial.” The article later continues to say how we should just celebrate the “power of a united force of women — and men — who are coming together to fight for change.” And they’re right. Overall, both articles were in favor of the movement and sung the praises of its success, and it’s true that we should celebrate the unity that the “Me Too” movement has prompted.

However, the fact that social media has put so much pressure on the way we interact with our partners and our peers may not be merely a bad thing. The amount of scrutiny from social media audiences may give way to ‘mob justice’, but it also forces us to really think about how we interact with others around us. Now, well decreased privacy is not an idea that is commonly thought of with warmth and acceptance, the decreased privacy and increased scrutiny that people feel from social media can definitely be a deterrent for further sexual violence to occur, especially in the Hollywood spotlight.

In a video by The Root, that was mentioned previously, Tarana Burke said “If I could’ve just said ‘me too” to show these victims that they’re not alone. The successful leverage of social media has largely achieved Burke’s goal. The “Me Too” and “Time’s Up” movement has shown survivors of sexual violence that they’re not alone and has given many victims the bravery to speak up and the courage relieve themselves of guilt or shame they feel. A quote from American Olympic gymnast Simone Biles put it best when she wrote up a statement on Twitter, detailing her story of abuse from Larry Nassar, saying “For too long I’ve asked myself, “Was I too naïve? Was it my fault?” I now know the answer to those questions. No. No, it was not my fault. No, I will not and should not carry the guilt that belongs to Larry Nassar, USAG, and others.” Biles is a great example of the countless victims that the “Me Too” movement has helped inspire.

Although the success is undeniable, there is still much more to be done, especially in regards to social media. We need to remember that even though the “Me Too” movement has done so much good, we cannot let it cloud our judgment in making trials fair. As the article in the Irish Times recognized, “We are a fast-moving generation fueled by news and views but also with a penchant for outrage. Knee jerk reactions will become second nature if this is how such sensitive issues (or non-issues if that be the case) are aired out.” As well, social media often gives the effect of feeling separated from the outside world, but it is our job to make sure we are fluid with the way we interact online and in real life. It is not ok to “slut shame” someone to their face, so it is not ok to do it through social media either. We post on social media how we want the world to be more accepting and intervene when people need help, so we need to make sure we follow through on our promises in our real, daily life as well. Social media has been an invaluable tool in helping this movement become global, and we can continue to use it to help organize events, connect with more survivors of sexual violence, and do our best to make sure no more perpetrators go unpunished, but we can only go so far on social media. What we do off the screen matters just as much, and if were able to take hold of the progress that has come through social media and adapt it to real life, then we are stepping in the right direction. After all, as Tarana Burke said, “We all we got”.