Social Media & Today's News

A great article on the debate between protecting online anonymity and holding responsible those who abuse and misuse it.

In my opinion, the concept of anonymity on social media platforms heavily contributes to the increase in “trolling” in today’s media world. Even without the protection of anonymity, hiding behind a screen psychologically encourages people to open up and spread a lot more hateful and harsh words than they would normally in a face-to-face conversation. Add in the extra protection of anonymity and that attitude has the ability to multiply tenfold. As Joen Stein says in his article How Trolls are ruining the Internet, “factors like anonymity, invisibility, a lack of authority and not communicating in real time strip away the mores society spent millennia building.” The online anonymity that is allowed by many platforms on social media applications today increases the ability for just about anyone to become a keyboard warrior. The negative reaction from others often encourages trolls and increases their behavior, and the protection of hiding behind a screen influences them to say whatever they want, no matter how cruel, at the expense of another individual.

A great video on intersectionality using delicious foods to explain as examples. The humor in this video makes it easy to understand while also addressing the important nature of the term “intersectionality” and how it applies to feminism in today’s culture.

Ted Bunch, co-founder of violence prevention and male socialization group A Call to Men (https://www.cnn.com/2017/10/30/health/metoo-legacy/index.html)