The Yin and Yang of Social Media
Social media is an extremely formidable tool harnessed by many to fulfill various different purposes; some good and some, regrettably, not so good. It has the power to bring people together and create strong communities, but it also has the power to divide and tear us apart. The latter is what many would say (but all of his followers would disagree) that the POTUS has done with his favourite social media platform of all time, Twitter.
The influential power one is able to utilize with social media is exactly why Donald Trump is so obsessed with it. The controversial POTUS just cannot keep his smaller-than-average hands off of Twitter because he knows he is able to voice his opinions to millions and they will hear it, regardless of whether they want to or not. Trump’s transparency on Twitter (and in general) is one of the few reasons why he has gained such a large following. He voices his thoughts and opinions openly, heedless of whether they do more harm than good, which unfortunately, is what the majority of his tweets seem to do.
How exactly has Trump gained such a following with his unfiltered opinions? Simply because they speak to the fears of many Americans. However, not only does he identify the fears of those who follow him, he makes promises to put an end to them and prevent these fears from coming true. He has made harmful promises such as the building of the Wall, the defunding of Planned Parenthood, barring citizens of certain countries from entering the U.S., and many more. With the help of social media, he is able to amplify these messages of hate and fear to his dedicated followers, who passionately accept them and spread them throughout the world like an uncontrollable wildfire.
One cannot deny he uses his Twitter account quite effectively, as whether you want to hear about Trump or not, it is an impossible task unless you’re completely detached from society and devoid of technology. News outlets constantly report about him, his face and name are plastered all over every social media outlet, and his outrageous words are what everyone is talking about. Trump cannot resist social media as he knows his tweets can (and will) cause an uproar around the world.
However, not everything is about Trump’s absurd lies and negative opinions. Not too long ago, the woman who is considered to be a modern-day saint, Oprah Winfrey, made international headlines with her moving acceptance speech when she was awarded the prestigious Cecile B. DeMille award.
As the first black woman to receive the Cecil B. DeMille award, it was no surprise that it would become a memorable night for everyone, especially women of colour and victims of sexual assault. Her empowering words were so inspiring that many people were rooting for her to become the next president. In her speech, she praised the millions of brave women that spoke up in the #MeToo movement, a movement that has taken the world by storm. She told Recy Taylor’s tragic story and spoke of better times ahead for all women, a “…time when nobody ever has to say “Me too” again (CNN).”
It was an awe-inspiring speech that made waves all over social media and for good reason; they were words many needed at a dire time. They were words of motivation and positivity amongst a constant stream of bleak news and negativity; a sliver of light in a seemingly endless sea of darkness.
We can see that social media is certainly not a tool to be messed with; it is a double-edged sword that can be used to strike fear and hate into the hearts of many, and it can also be used to start empowering movements that shake the world down to its very core. Like the concept of yin and yang, we must remember that there is always some good amongst all the bad, a light in all the darkness. While all may seem bleak with the infinite barrage of horrible news, and an erratic and twitter-obsessed pathological liar as the President of the United States, one must keep their heads up and hold on to hope, as a wise woman once said…
