Julie He ‘23
On May 19th, 2020, users on social media posted black squares to support the movement Black Lives Matter. Millions of posts were made protesting the death of countless black people at the hands of police brutality. While there have been marching protests for racism in the past century, the 21st century has opened doors to more opportunities for word to spread. Due to the advancement of technology, it has allowed news to spread faster, petitions and donations more accessible, and people to be more educated and informed. While the internet can be a dark place, social media can help us in the fight for equality.
Because of rapid growth made in technology, almost everyone has easy access to social media nowadays. Just on twitter, there are over 330 million monthly active users, not to mention the staggering amount of 1 billion active users on instagram or over 2 billion on facebook. Recently, because of Coronavirus, more people have flocked to social media for entertainment and interaction. With so many people using these platforms, information is easily spread to a mass of the population. With one post, millions of people are able to see information on what is happening. People uneducated on the topic are able to know what and why it is happening. For instance, Instagram, Twitter, and Tiktok all helped promote the Black Lives Matter movement which would not have been as successful without social media. People helped promote the movement with Instagram stories, Tiktok videos, and more. On these platforms, anyone can share their experiences and stories dealing with racism to everyone. Additionally, multiple schools, including St. Mark’s, have created accounts where students, staff, and alumni have made accounts to create a safe place where they can share their stories and allow them to be heard. It brings attention to topics that people would be unaware of without the internet. Petitions and donation websites can be made then shared to millions all at once. There are numerous things that can be done with the aid of the internet.
As teenagers and social media users, we can help do our part! Liking, sharing, or reposting content that is supportive of the movement can help spread the word. It allows for news to reach everyone. It only takes 3 seconds, but could impact someone’s whole life. However, simply liking a post is not enough. It is our responsibility to educate and inform ourselves on what is happening in the world. We are very lucky and privileged to be able to go to a school such as St. Mark’s, and we should use it to help others that are unable to do the same. We can show our support by commenting and leaving a kind message. We can also help by signing petitions, or donating to causes if we are able. However, it is beneficial to read articles and inform yourselves before blindly signing petitions. We are limited to what we can do as individuals, but as a group and as consumers, we can help educate others and call out racist businesses and shops. With what we can achieve as a group, we should all strive to help in the fight against racism.
Social media has been instrumental in recent campaigns and movements, and we can utilize it for more progress. As the generation to grow up around such advanced technology, it would be a waste to not put it to good use . Every little thing helps, and informing someone takes only a few seconds. The internet can be used for good, and it is our chance to do it. Social media has helped allow information to spread rapidly, which can be good and bad. If we all use social media to help fight racism, we can collectively do lots of good in and off the internet. The fight against racism is still far from over, and we can all assist in ending it.