Social Media Distorts Reality
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Then why are you all here? (….this forum is “social media”…..).
I agree with much of the points about racism — maybe all of them. I personally refuse to say any of the “matters” hashtags, not even “all” or “blue”. It has become a religious profession of faith, hailing back to the Spanish Inquisition. The “matters” banner cries are trite and ultimately contentious and divisive, in spite of their (possibly good?) intentions.
However, I still contend this forum, by definition, IS social media!
Social media is simply a tool. Like any tool, social media is not inherently evil. Whether a tool is “good” or “bad” depends on how it is used. Twitter is a good example of how social media can be used in the most detrimental way. Indeed, vicious fiends have used it to drive people to suicide, not to mention ruined careers and personal relationships. However, YouTube is an example of one which has redeeming qualities; not all channels on YouTube “distort reality”.
I’m not trying to be contentions, but “truth matters”….right? So let’s be real. This very forum is Social Media, and not all Social Media, as a tool, is used to “distort reality” — though some might try to use it that way.
On that note, I’ve seen some suspicious soapbox evangelism attempts even here, by someone who doesn’t appear to speak English as their native tongue. Now who do you think would be interested in spreading fake “right-wing” propaganda on this forum, that doesn’t even communicate in English well? Yeah, they’re everywhere. If a site is connected to the internet and has a discussion forum (i.e., “social media”), they’re there.
You know what else is a tool that people try to blame directly, for bad outcomes? Guns. Same thing. Guns are NOT inherently evil. They are merely tools. Again, whether a tool is “good” or “bad” depends on how it is used.
The thought of deleting all mainstream social media has crossed my mind too, but sites like Reddit, Twitter, etc. keep these idiots confined there. If those sites disappeared, it’d be tempting to celebrate, but I don’t think SJW’s and the like are just going to shrug and reconnect with reality. They’re going to migrate onto other platforms to continue getting their dopamine fix (i.e. tumblr had massive problems with its own community and the site’s staff made sweeping changes to their rules. Guess where all the crazies migrated too? Twitter. Making it worse than it already was).
It’s a Catch-22 situation, in my opinion. These cretins might be a minority, but when the minority goes unchallenged or ignored, they have a way bringing their shit into the real world (as we’re seeing right now in regards to current events). Social Media is good in that they expose themselves for who they are and we can see what they really think, but it’s also bad because of the echo chambers it creates and provides a hotbed for radicalizing impressionable people.
I understand the point you’re making, but I think everyone here kinda knows the distinction the OP was making in regards to “Social Media.”
Broadly speaking, yes, this forum is “Social Media,” as with any website that allows its users communication. But OP is referring to mainstream sites like Facebook and Twitter which are largely used by normies for their ease of accessibility and lack of focus on a particular genre. Forums like this one, however, lean more towards a specific demographic and only attract specific people (which I think is better towards building a community).
As for right-wing propaganda… Yeah, that can be a bit cringe. Over the last few years, I’ve been seeing some gamers get pushed into reactionary politics. I believe that’s largely been driven thanks to radical left-wing activists pushing their agenda into places where it doesn’t belong and trying to make it part of everyday life. How do you fight back against that? You seek out the enemy of your enemy. But I would urge gamers and geeks alike not too fall to deep into that rabbit hole, otherwise you could become the mirror-image of what you claim you fight against. Stare into the abyss, and the abyss gazes back (just look at OneAngryGamer. They used to be just about opposing censorship, but these days you’re likely to find rampant antisemitism and holocaust denial in their comment section. That is the kind of politicization we should avoid).
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