Social media has earned its place as one of the most impactful technologies of the new millennium. Public usage of this technology has seen a meteoric rise, and as of June 2019, 72% of Americans have created an account on at least one social media platform . Additionally, the average American spends 144 minutes of their day on social networking apps. This deep and broad usage of social media throughout society has changed how we interact with the world around us and also how we interact with ourselves. One aspect that has seen the most change is our sense of identity. On some social media platforms, we are able to represent ourselves as we please, separated from reality’s limitations. This has made these platforms a haven for society’s most marginalized individuals who face scrutiny offline for being who they are. However, loose identity verification has also enabled certain users to abuse this freedom for problematic purposes.
In “Constructing and enforcing ‘authentic’ identity online”, authors Oliver Haimson and Ann Hoffman document how the policies of social media websites limit marginalized individuals from representing themselves in the way they please. Facebook, for example, requires users represent themselves with their real, government issued identity. This creates problems for certain users like transgender individuals, who face account shutdowns because of ID verification issues stemming from name changes. One platform which remedies this issue is Twitter, which as former CEO Dick Costello states, “does not care about real names”. On Twitter, there is no system for verification, which allows users to represent themselves as they please. For marginalized individuals, this is great and allows for beautiful self expression, but this system is abused by a good amount of Twitter users for harmful purposes. An example of this is prominent Twitter user @ogmaxb, who masquerades as a black man and uses the n-word despite being caucasian. This false representation serves to reinforce negative stereotypes about African Americans that society is working hard to reverse. Additionally, this account and others like it reap benefits from a community they do not represent or contribute to.
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| Left: Image of Twitter user @ogmaxb, Right: Tweets showing @ogmaxb freely using the n-word |
Though Twitter’s lack of real name policy has allowed for some users to represent themselves authentically, it has also given way to harmful and inauthentic representation which needs to be regulated. A happy medium must be discovered which allows for free expression, but discourages harmful misrepresentation moving forward.
I think this post raises very valid concerns about anonymity online, and how it can be used to both help and hurt people, especially when used as a shield for potentially racist, sexist, or homophobic actions. I appreciate the stats and the examples given in the post, and I would love to hear more maybe about how people try to get around these rules, like people on Facebook using their middle name instead of their last name.
ReplyDeleteThis post does a very good job of addressing the consequences and concerns of anonymity, and how some can use it to be harmful in their actions online. I also like the use of hyperlinks to showcase the stats you used. One thing I bleieve could improve your post even more is a new, more eyecating font with a bit of a larger size. Also, the last paragraph of your post should be increased in size so that it will better help the reader to see what was written.
ReplyDeleteYour post did a good job breaking down an issue we discussed
ReplyDeletein class and presenting a sound example with regards to study you read. When I think would better improve your blog would be to first off space out your thoughts more and increase the font at the bottom. With blog posts it is generally more effective to present your post through a stream of consciousness rather than two paragraph blocks. Lastly, I think if you tried to provide some type of solution to this issue, that could improve the post. It is one thing to talk about this issue and give an example, but trying to figure out a way to solve this issue would be effective. Or, give an example of a social media platform or service that you think does a good job finding a “happy medium”.
This post focuses on a topic that is extremely relevant in today's society. It is perfect for tying in topics that we discuss in class and referencing the readings we do. The only things I would suggest are in reference to formatting. The picture of the mask did catch my eye originally, however when I scrolled down and saw the small font and large paragraphs, that almost turned me off from reading the article. I think that breaking the paragraphs up and using a more enticing font would be beneficial. Also, adding a hyperlink or two would allow for the reader to further explore the issue you are addressing. Overall, I love the topic and the way you wrote, I would just work on a more intriguing format.
ReplyDeleteHi! Your blog post was very interesting and a really good read! You did a very solid job connecting an fascinating topic with class discourse and readings. Your links were really good, and I liked the images a lot as well. One very minor thing I think you could fix would be the last few lines in size small font. Other than that, I think that you did a great job!
ReplyDeleteSocial media definitely has the ability to bring upon good and bad. The anonymous nature of social media also can bring bad and good. If everyone were to use it as it should be used;there would definitely be many pros to social media. Many people get too comfortable behind screens and say things they would never say in person. It would have been interesting to see specific things social media has done to limit the negatives that may come from anonymity.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post, I love all the info, however, its also important to take into account those people who have severely misused social media to harm or predatory behavior, and with that said is there a way to look at social media in today's day and age without certain preconceptions?
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