I came across this interesting read over the weekend, – thanks to my good friends over at Dream Defenders, and I wanted to share it with my PLUMS! Have you ever had watched or read something so inspiring that you felt that the author was speaking your exact words or truth. For me, Rachel Gilmer is that author speaking truth about the ‘opium’ of social media .
I’ve shared this with friends a few months ago, but I’ll re-share. I enjoy social media, and prior to launching ‘ ThatPlum ‘ in 2011 , social media [for me] was simply another tool to communicate with relatives, and child hood friends who you rarely see day -to day. It also served as a chat forum for friends, co-workers, and family and pictures were just an added accessory for folks look to at. Keep in mind I only had facebook, and linkedin,
As the brand grew, and my name populated in the industry, so did the definition of social media and how it is to be used. I was told I had to acquire a twitter acct, a google + acct, etc, tumblr . The competition level heightened and the race for more likes and followers had started. I was part of a larger game that I didn’t even know I was part of. I had two choices: Let The Game Control You, or Control The Your Game! I decided to become a #GameChanger !
That’s all I’ll say for now, but I encourage you read Rachel Gilmer’s article entitled ‘The Opium Of People’
Before I joined the Dream Defenders, I was one of the many organizers around the world whose work did not reverberate through social media with thousands of likes and follows. Even though I was doing amazing grassroots work with some of the dopest people in the world, I felt voiceless and powerless because I didn’t know how to talk about my organizing online.
I used to get together with friends and ask them how they did it, feverishly writing down tips for how to make my work attract attention because I felt like I had to. When I shared this with other Dream Defenders after arriving here in July, I was surprised to hear that even people who I had perceived as having the power of a huge organization, still felt invisible as individuals over social media. In the age of the internet, power and exposure have become increasingly relative – you can always have more followers and retweets and you’re bombarded with examples of others who have all of these things all the time.
It’s Clear That Social Media Creates A Feeling Of Loneliness And Inadequacy For Many Of Us Regardless Of Our Positionality.
note, this is a part of a series of reflections made during the 73 day social media blackout that Dream Defenders just ended. Read our organizational social media blackout statement here.
Why any of this matters in the first place is really what we should be asking ourselves. Social media is constantly fueling and draining our egos – making us feel hyper belittled and narcissistic at the same damn time, making us feel like the revolution is about us. Social media has created a race to the top mentality within our movement, while pandering to the basic human desire to connect with others and be recognized. Movement relationships have eroded online, because we are competing for airtime under the guise that airtime itself is scarce. And I think the scariest part about all of this, is that we don’t realize this dynamic exists or at the very least, believe that we are in control of it.
However, After 73 days Off Of Social Media, I’ve Come To The Stark Realization That These Platforms Have Much More Control Over Me, Than I Have Over Them.
In fact, social media has such a strong hold of me, that I could barely adhere to staying off of it for 73 days. I went on several times, because I just had to look. It’s embarrassing to admit, but I was curious to know who had liked my last post.
Social media is based on the premise that we, as users, are the ones who preside over the platform. The internet itself is considered a democratizing force in which every individual has an equal space to speak. Fights for net neutrality have been rooted in this messaging – the internet is the voice of the oppressed and must remain a place for the people. But the reality is that social media has, and always will be, owned and operated by corporations. Their business model manipulates the information we feed them with for their own gains. Despite our perception, social media is not in our control. It’s the illusion of such and while I can’t deny the importance of having spaces to share our own stories in our own words, I think we must ask ourselves if social media is really the right place to do this.
In my 73 days away from social media, I’ve had more space to root myself in my own consciousness without sitting in the thoughts and lives of others every waking moment. For the past 4 years, the first thing I’ve done almost every single day is check my Facebook and Twitter accounts. Without realizing it, I would feel bad about myself because inevitably one of my “friends” would be doing something more exciting or righteous than me, or because I’d be bombarded with images of Black and Brown death. Yet, social media is addictive. I couldn’t stop. This is not healthy. It’s psychological warfare.
Studies confirm that being on social media actually makes us depressed. When Sandra Bland was killed, my timeline was filled with images of her in her death and as the week went by, tiny pieces of the story came out one headline at a time, with each one flooding my entire timeline for hours. The psychological damage committed by seeing so many images of violence inflicted on our people is not liberating. It’s created a landscape where our movement is more about death, than about life. And the oppressor is perfectly content with this. In fact, it’s exactly what they want. What’s so sick and twisted about all of this is that they prey on our notions of freedom – our human desire for connection and recognition and our social desire for democratic and equitable communication – to do all of this….
Read my full reflection and comment on the DD Blog here
One Love PLUMS!