#generationlike

After watching the 2014 PBS documentary, Generation Like, I was met with many ideas that are ubiquitous in current-day social media. The film discusses the generation of millennial teens and young adults who have transformed daily interactions with their use of social media. It has been three years since its release and a few changes have been added to the list of social networking advancement. With the creation and flourishing of Snapchat stories, Instagram, Youtubers and the “Facebook Famous”, the far reaching impact of the like button did not surprise me. As millennials, we have a general understanding of how people and companies who can get likes, favorites or retweets make money off of them, but the exact linking of likes to data and systematic control in real time was an interesting look at something we engage in regularly. Generation Like showed the influence of the consumer who initiates the like, and therefore a chain of data that sends monetary gain and social impact to the producer of the product. The push of a button has the capability of placing t fame, money and access in the hands of those in power AND in the hands, or thumbs of the consumer.

I argue that we, as users of social media, possesses an immense amount of power at our fingertips that can provide a source of agency for social justice issues. Not only do consumers generate data with every like, they create patterns and suggestions for other users in their friend group or their followers when they use Google search, shop online or view the pages of people they like. Collectively, this is a powerful position of influence that does not go unwatched. The focus of Generation Like, is the individualistic nature of these likes (individual fame, fortune etc.). I began wonder how these likes can instead empower us in a way that benefits the greater good and simultaneously help a large number of people come together in solidarity.

In terms of social justice, social media can have an important role in creating data that speaks to people in a way that will better society and connect on issues of injustice and inequality.  In Social Media Freaks, Dustin Kidd exemplifies social media’s tendency to give its users a “valuable course of action” or agency. When tragedies occur, social media can be a way to congregate, respond and act. In addition, viral videos on social media often come from organizations that strive to see a change in the world. For example, Ditch the Label and its anti-bullying campaign produced a video last year, “Are You Living an Insta Lie? Social Media VS. Reality”: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EFHbruKEmw) that yielded over two million viewers. The video showed discrepancies between people’s lives on social media and in real life. By portraying the lives of people displaying false versions of themselves online, it revealed a vulnerability that is present in everyone. This was Ditch The Label’s biggest hit online earned by teaming up with Boohoo, a popular UK clothing site. Together, they were able to  create a video that still stays within the mission of Ditch the Label’s intentions of inclusivity, anti-bullying, anti-hate and self-love through collaboration, art and access to resources.

Additionally social media provides us with agency by providing a useful source to uplift one another. This occurs in two ways: 1. By creating a space for positive influence (also known as techno-optimism ) and 2. By creating a space for community. For example, the human rights of women are not fully recognized in every society nor every household. Seeing powerful women engaging together online provides visibility and empowerment in spaces where it is otherwise inaccessible. An example of this is a video created by The Global Goals, entitled #WhatIReallyReallyWant. The video went viral with 1.8 million views online: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZQ2RUFd54o.). Some of the messages included are, “ Equal Pay, End Violence Against Girls, End Child Marriage”. This video of young women dancing around the world displays an intersectional feminist message emphasizing girl power and egalitarian society.

Age

I have just recently started watching The Bachelor/Bachelorette on ABC and it has sort of been my guilty pleasure lately. After watching the first few episodes, I was made aware of the job title “social media influencer,” which multiple contestants had listed as their career before coming onto the show. I didn’t really know what this meant at the time, but my initial thought was that whatever it is, they’re probably not making much money doing it. My second thought was that they probably have another job that they just decided not to list or maybe they are making enough money off the show itself to support themselves. Now, after watching the documentary Generation Like, I argue that in fact, being a social media influencer can be a smart career choice and can lead to many other opportunities and perks along the way. For example, in the documentary, we see famous youtuber Tyler Oakley who started out posting random videos of himself with only a few viewers ten years ago, and today, he has a following of nearly 8 million subscribers! Now, he gets paid to make his videos. He also receives a lot of free merchandise, which he gets paid on top of to advertise, and he even got to host the red carpet at the Oscars last year! If you watch either The Bachelor or The Bachelorette, you will see examples of this too with the many contestants on the show that are considered social media influencers. These social media influencers have somehow gained enough followers on their social media accounts in order to get noticed and paid by posting pictures of the items they are given and also mentioning the brands that they are promoting. Amongst the social media influencers on the show, you will also see some prestigious positions such as, lawyers, doctors, actors, personal trainers, and a few others. I think that this sends a message that you’re not going to be casted just by chance and given the opportunity to find love on the show if you have not accumulated enough cultural capital, whether its through your job title, your appearance, or the amount of likes that you have on your Instagram posts. If you are not casted in the show, it can take away the opportunity to advance your career as a social media influencer and gain more cultural capital simply by making an appearance on television. Once you make it on the show, you are almost set in your career. For example, after bachelor Nick Viall, who is also a social media influencer, finished his season on the show, he was then called to do Dancing with the Stars, and still makes appearances on talk shows and celebrity award ceremonies today. These opportunities help to expand his following even more in the same way that Tyler Oakley’s subscribers grew. For them, social media platforms are their platforms for networking and becoming even more influential amongst the generation of social media enthusiasts. These influencers drive those who utilize social media to want to be just like them and to do this they must consume the same things in order to feel associated with the influencer. If they continue to consume, post, and tag, then they may become a social media influencer themselves too, leading them on their path to fame.