Build and do not destroy , Construir and no destruir
In the age of “Call Out” culture, the real- time communication of ordinary folks through the internet has the power to weaponize social media to respond in ways and with speed that traditional media cannot match. The days when information travelled only as fast as the daily paper and the nightly news ended when social media replaced it as the most common way people find out what’s happening in the world. The “message”, whatever it is, can spread quickly to everyone in one’s social circle and beyond in real time. This information is unfiltered, unspun by the powerful to protect the privledeged, and accessible to the many through their phone. Many of the things that traditional media could hide or simply minimize can be exposed by the people and become “viral” overnight.
And for what its worth, this has been an amazing thing to witness. In the past, we could hear stories of harrassment and murder by cops against people of color. Now, these shameful crimes are revealed on cell phone video and they are impossible to deny. Everyday acts of discrimination are brought to light, and long buried acts of abuse surface for the first time. Testimonies about many events that would only reach a small audience before are amplified, edited into bite size chunks that feed the long unfulfilled desire for instant “justice”, if only in the court of public opinon. The “democracy” of little-screen news published by common folks for common folks has an appeal, a power to shape ideas.
But there are dangers in this “movement” if we are honest with ourselves. Much of the street activisim of the civil rights movement has become the “social” activitism of “social media” : no risk, no accountability for work, no research, no grassroots organizing- just “like” and “share”. The ideas of the “right” are no less appealing to any particular small crowd as those of the “left”. In the 2016 election, it was proven that a whole national candidacy in one of the most advanced democracies in the world could be driven not by hacking the machine or storming the polls, but by simply manufacturing a narrative that vulnerable people wanted. That’s it. Confirm that others share their fear, their hatred. Make monsters of anyone who is different. Tell a few key lies about the opposition. Stay on message and make that message acceptable. Done.
Right, Left, Center are all equally vulnerable to create an “echo chamber” where the FACTS bend around the narrative, not the NARRATIVE around the facts. Following the lead of an egomanic leader, we have normalized talking in “hyperbole” and then immediately posting our unvetted thoughts to the wind. Surely, the number of “likes” defines the level of “truth” to our statements? There is some evidence, against common sense, that people believe this…
So let’s just admit that social media is a medium – a way to spread a message. It is NOT a message unto itself. The sender and the user still need to make their case based in truth. The truth may have an angle, may be positioned to make a point, but it still has to be based in real experiences – not percieved ones. While there is space to tell stories in social media that never fit in big media, there is space to also tell lies that can have power for someone looking for an answer – ANY answer that validates their pain. The common cliche is that “With great power comes great responsability”. Never has this been more true than with social media. To ignore this is to welcome the post-truth era and the war that comes with it. Words must never lose their power to build – not destroy.
The Seven Tasks 