#mco435

During a time where Latinx people are gaining traction in television and politics, it is refreshing to see an openly queer teenage girl in a daytime television show. Coming out as a queer person in Latinx families with oftentimes deep religious times can be do or die for some, and to see a family rally behind and in support of Elena is a beautiful and important thing to watch unfold!

With social media becoming a growing breeding ground of political discourse, politicians are now quietly considering modifying how free speech works on the internet.

Trolls on the internet are becoming more common every single day. They will interact with any type of post to stir up some drama and divide people. Internet trolls will comment under any tweet, regardless of the original context, to voice their unwanted “opinion” on the matter. If the original post has to do with something negative that is happening in this world, they could reply with a counter argument stating that what is happening is actually good. Trolls even post in the comments of those mourning the deceased to mock their death. On Twitter, the most common phrase is “well maybe if *insert name* stanned *insert kpop group*” along with “anyway stan *insert kpop group*. This most recently occurred with the death of Disney star Cameron Boyce in July. Trolls were in the comments of media posts replying with tweets like this, which made a lot of people very angry. Trolls don’t just stop there. Since the current president is heavily active on twitter, and is not favored at all by the majority of social media users, in the replies of Trumps tweets one can find many internet trolls along with supporters and those that are opposed. However, sometimes it can be difficult to spot the trolls from the Trump supporters. What is posted on social media can affect politicians and the supporters. One tweet from years ago that is controversial now can be brought up and shake up the whole internet and suddenly cancel culture has begun. Internet trolls can be dangerous and interacting with them can cause a major headache, so it is best to just ignore, report and block their accounts.

This week marks the college equivalent to the dreaded slavery chapter in history. This week we read posts about the three topics that used to considered taboo. Though dialogue and discourse is salient, I often wonder if we’re making any hedge way. We talk and type and talk and type and nothing changes. People still believe the women in the ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ doc were fast lying gold diggers. The women who killed Botham Jean will be serving ten years in prison. Black men who’ve killed police dogs have gotten longer sentences. Today, the key witness in the case was shot and murdered in Dallas. I don’t mean to sound like I’m losing hope; I’m just checking in. This is a formal inquiry. Why aren’t we doing anything and how can we start? In the famous words on the late great Toni Morrison, how can we be expected to be both doctor and patient?

Throughout every platform, there is something in common that none of them can escape from, and that would be internet trolls. Trolls that will appear onto any topic of conversation in order to create havoc among the internet atmosphere just for their own pleasure or to receive a reaction from others. The internet is used by everyone, as it may be difficult to ignore heinous comments, but at the very least some internet trolls have spread laughs through the expression of memes. Internet trolls make a big impact on the internet and who uses it, as they have become a part of the “internet culture.”

The purpose of this anecdote is to explain how important social media is in terms of connecting with constituents. Some people watch the news and some people read the news paper. (Almost) everyone participates with social media. This huge rate of participation puts extra responsibility on political figures/organizations/campaigns to present themselves in a desired manner. The ability to appeal to voters, through social media, goes hand-in-hand with getting elected and making national impact. With that being said, the potential impact of social media is not something to take lightly.

As I wrote about in this week’s discussion board, the Black Twitter culture is imperative to society. It has become a resource not only for those within the African American community who are struggling to have their voices heard, but it has also become an educational resource for those who might be ignorant of the struggles that this community has to face daily. This platform gives them a way to communicate all of the things that might be hushed from the rest of society (like certain hate crimes against their race, etc.), and provides a way for other people outside of their community to not only learn about what they have to go through, but also gives them the ability to help and put their two cents in. Black Twitter has done so many amazing things, from hyping up young struggling artists or entrepreneurs within their community to joining the rest of Twitter in a war to get someone fired or expelled from school for making racist comments. This community is in place to first of all, give African Americans a place to feel like home and a place where they can feel comfortable to speak freely on the internet, while also making sure to hold other people accountable for their actions-- something that might be a bit harder to accomplish at such a successful rate off of the internet. Basically, Twitter is as amazing and influential in people’s lives as it is mainly because Black Twitter (and communities similar to it) exist. 

Social media has become how people connect with one another. We haven’t really noticed however that we choose to be part of the social media groups that coincide with our own thought and ideas, essentially a bubble if you will, that does not allow us to be a part of other social issues to allow us to grow. Some may say that this is because the other groups don’t know their own personal struggles, but it starts excluding people, which in turn may make them unaware of uneducated on more oppressing issues. How can one learn not to culture appropriate without being trolled online, if they had no idea such an issue existed or was offensive? I believe social media has such a way to go and can somehow come together, if we allow it to do so. But for now, don’t be afraid to join other groups or at least learn of them to better yourself as a human. You never know, you may in turn do the same for someone else as well.