#WOKE #CHANGE #PAID #CREATE
#WOKE
I believe social media to be a tool for success — but it is also a place that can exploit and harm reputations and eventually, result in great failure. Being an active user of some of the biggest platforms like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for such a long time, I am able to see how things have changed with regards to content display and expression. They way in which influencers are able to target an audience and persuade thoughts and opinions so easily is a scary thought to me.
While demagogues like Donald Trump are able to use social media to their advantage, i don’t necessarily think social media itself is what enables these types of people. In addition, figures like Oprah Winfrey, who oppose demagogic views, are able to create a reaction on social media, but again, i don’t think social media itself is what enables their influence. In my opinion, it is all about being educated — or, a lack of education. Of course social media makes it easy for millennials, and even adults to believe everything they see and hear because things are displayed everywhere, whether you have an interest in them or not.
Moreover, social media makes it easy to access information and become influenced by public figures, but i think the main reason why these figures are enabled in the first place, has to do with ones level of education.
Yes, we must stay #WOKE, but this means considering all viewpoints and lots and lots of reading and learning. The less educated someone is, the easier they are influenced by social media, and thus, the greater opportunity for demagogues to be enabled; or, in contrast, for reconcilers to find a prominent place in society.
You cant necessarily be woke, but you can #STAYWOKE.
#CHANGE
While career politicians can always find ways to persuade people, it seems as though giant celebrities have an easier time doing so. Through the use of social media, from what i notice, in order to make a difference or to create change, you have to do something completely new, exciting and maybe even controversial. Showing users a new way of doing something, or a new way of thinking, in a creative way, will inevitably make the audience want to stand with you. We admire people like Kanye West who are always completely honest and unapologetically themselves. I do think it is possible for less popular figures to gain an important spot in society, but its all about how they work their audience. In this case, you can’t always give the people what they want; i think you should try and challenged existing facts and opinions and only then will you spark a conversation big enough to gain influence that will ultimately allow them to give the people what they want.
#PAID
Dwayne The Rock Johnson’s Instagram is impressive from an entertaining and educational standpoint. He could certainly use his social media platform to sway his audience and do well in an election. He is a good speaker, is genuine and is passionate when he speaks on issues. If he were to become further educated on politics, and voice his viewpoints in the same manner he speaks in other videos and posts, I think the people would definitely listen. Pre-awareness could possibly backfire, though, because people may be hesitant to vote for a celebrity who may have some understanding of politics, but no actual political background. The Rock’s fame was due to the WWE and acting and while his views on politics sound educated, people may never be able to separate him from his career.
#CREATE
Filter bubbles are somewhat of an annoying feature to me. Even though it can be helpful in certain cases, it really bothers me how I see the same things over and over and over again, and how certain accounts’ posts pop up near the top of my page, and not in chronological order. For me, I’d much rather be exposed to many things so I can learn about them all — and then be able to choose what to focus on from there. Public discourse though, can be shaped by artists with a large influence on society through the use of social media. Due to filter bubbles and throughout various art forms, social media users are forced to see accounts posts who have a large following and a popular page before others’. Because of filter bubbles, we can’t really escape certain posts or information and are therefore affected by celebrities’ thoughts and they can often become our thoughts too, without even realizing it. As a result, human beings are thinking in “universal” manner, rather than a “particular”, more than ever before.
