Social Media presents balancing act between entertainment, activism

In today’s world, escaping social media is nearly impossible, and while many view this as a purely negative thing, it can be a great tool to give a voice to the voiceless. It’s truly a double edged sword, with one side full of dancing videos and pranks, and the other consisting of the brutal realities of the world; conflict by its very true nature.

It’s inarguable that social media’s impact is widespread, and with that, comes controversy. From meaningful TikTok trends to Instagram posts speaking unspoken truths, media spreads like wildfire especially because of its accessibility. In 2020, isolation during the pandemic caused millions to flock to social media as an outlet for communication when there was virtually none. Some spent their time “doom scrolling” and watching fun videos, while others used this idle time to bring awareness to social injustices.

The unjust death of George Floyd only added fuel to the fire, and the “Black Lives Matter”' movement quickly spread across the United States, arguably becoming one of the most influential movements of the 21st century thus far. Millions came together in protest of not only Floyd, but many other African Americans who were shamefully let down by the police, their so-called “protectors”. According to Mapping Police Violence, black people are 2.9 times more likely to be killed by police violence than white people, a jarring statistic. The more light was brought to this injustice, the more people rallied together to try and create change. The outlet for organizing protests? Social media. The hashtag “BLM” on TikTok has reached 43 billion views as of 2023. These tragedies that had been occurring for years without a second glance by most would not have been brought to light had it not been for social media.

With any widespread movement on social media such as this, misinformation spreads quickly. People tend to believe what they see first, not bothering to look further into things. This is where the negative side of social media being the key vessel of information comes in, as said information can quickly be twisted to fit certain narratives. The education fund, PIRG, has found that social media, especially TikTok, has ushered in a new era of misinformation. A recent example given is the 2022 Titan submarine incident. PIRG discovered that almost 20% of the TikTok’s posted contained misinformation, displaying how unreliable the app is when it comes to accuracy and trustworthiness. This can be remedied through fact-checking, and not blindly basing opinions off these sometimes indecent second hand sources.

Regardless, social media continues to be an outlet for people to express themselves and share their stories, especially following the current conflict between Palestine and Israel. The TikTok tag “freepalestine” has reached 26 billion views as of early November, 2023. New information is being spread nearly every hour about the horrors happening. Unfortunately, many Palestinians are unable to share their side of the story due to a total loss of internet in some areas of Gaza, though gut wrenching videos of children found under rubble, and people crying for their families due to Israeli airstrikes are taking over social media. Creators like Xojourdanlouise and Therealoverloadcomedy have taken it amongst themselves to create TikTok filters in support of Palestine. Thanks to Tiktok’s creator fund, once two million videos are made, filters are eligible for commission. The creators in turn have promised to donate all of the money made from their filters to Palestinians in need. These simple filters have reached millions of users as they create videos with the effect, raising thousands of dollars as a result. 

Some are worried about whether or not the proceeds are truly going to Gaza, as there’s a possibility some creators may be selfishly inclined to keep the profits for themselves. This is a poor argument, as it takes merely ten seconds to create a video using the filter, and even if the proceeds are being kept for personal use, it’s only a few seconds of time wasted. Time in which money could be raised for the innocent civilians in Gaza who are experiencing constant terror amidst the conflict.

Nevertheless, social media’s impact on worldly issues is hard to dispute; even though there are some that turn to platforms like Tiktok to allow their mind to rot away, others use these sites as an outlet to speak out. Providing a voice to the voiceless is even more important now, and these simple videos may end up saving lives. No matter the platform, no matter the amount of followers, those that speak out make an impact on the world.

by Adele Faust and Jaeden Williams

Published November 27 2023

Oshkosh West Index Volume 120 Issue II