There is no doubt that we live in a technological society. Everything about us can be found on some sort of social media site. Our likes, our dislikes, our hopes and our dreams are out there on the broadband just waiting to be seen by those who may be interested.
In the transition into a technological society, our generation has seemingly lost the ability to communicate our feelings and viewpoints in an effective way. Long gone are the days of protests or forums, and the days of statuses, tweets, and Instagram posts are here to stay. This has an obvious positive effect on our society by allowing information to go viral in as little as a few minutes. We are able to inform people about events instantly.
It was recently brought to my, and many of my fellow students, attention that social media can be an extremely powerful tool; not always in a positive way.
It is no secret that in our society, much tension still exists regarding opinions and perceptions of individuals based on their race rather than their actual character. Generalizing an entire group of people out of fear and confusion became extremely prevalent in our community in light of a few events that recently occurred. Violence and crime is something that is rarely experienced in our small college community; however, within the past few months there have been a few events that have stricken an increasing amount of fear and tension between many community members.
I tread lightly in saying that individuals having their own opinions is not what caused the dramatization that occurred in our community, but rather the lack of ability to speak in a compelling and informative way about those opinions. Many took to social media, and rather than discussing the exact thing that was causing their fear, words of prejudice, stereotypes, and hatred came across the message boards. I truly believe that everyone is entitled to have their own opinions and speak freely about them, whether popular or not; however, I also believe that no one deserves to have their character diminished based off of characteristics that are inherited at birth. The color of someone’s skin, their culture, and their economic background do not determine their character.
I began to see the university and community I have grown to love and call my home turn into a virtual war zone.
I am not here to say anyone is right or wrong based off of his or her opinion of what happened. I believe that the fear, confusion, and anger on any side of the argument have solid ground for existing; but I can’t help but ask why, instead of expressing opinions of what was happening, was it just human nature to begin expressing anger towards those who were thought to be the cause? Instead of pleading for safety, justice, and information, fingers started pointing to place blame.
A situation that could have been contained as a simple reminder to be cautious quickly turned into a collection of media posts displaying prejudice and alarming amounts of negative portrayals of some of the best students Eastern has to offer.
I must admit, as a person who has a strong belief that all humans are equal, it was heart breaking and painful to read some of what was being said about my peers, friends, and colleagues.
I think that it is important for us to remember just how much social media can impact our lives not only now, but also in the future. Speaking in words filled with hate does nothing to benefit situations, but rather it can negatively impact the view that our peers, friends, family, and even future employers may have of us. It is important to learn how to utilize the use of social media as a method of getting our opinion out there into the world in a positive way.
No matter what your opinion may be, always remember that the character and rights of a human being are not based off of what they look like or where they came from; do not define someone based off of what those you perceive to be like them are doing or saying. Each individual is different, and everyone deserves the opportunity to define who he or she is on his or her own terms. If we give them the opportunity, we give ourselves the opportunity to expand our knowledge and awareness of the world around us.
