Social media is playing a larger role in our lives than we may even realize. Every day, billions of people across the globe document daily events like never before. Not only in text, but with video proof that can be instantly sent to any number of recipients. Modern history will no longer be left to academic authorities to decipher and filter the information deemed most important or agreeable, everything is available for individuals to decide what narrative to embrace. When tragic events take place we can see them for ourselves. No longer must we rely on the official accounts, and as we are now able to see for ourselves, the official accounts don't always match what actually happens.
During 2020 massive protests erupted over the police murder of George Floyd, a black man, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 26. The event was so incendiary because it was recorded in its entirety and posted to the internet by eye witnesses. This was another tragic murder in a long line of police brutality that goes back to the founding of police departments in this country, but instead of reading about horrific events from decades prior, we got to see it on our phones as it happened. The city of Minneapolis erupted after seeing the video of a police officer kneel on George Floyd's neck for 9 minutes until he died. He could be heard trying to say he couldn't breathe, he could be heard crying out for his mother, all the while a grinning murderer in an official police costume choked the life out of this man for no good reason. Those images being shared through social media and the internet fueled an explosion of protests and political action.
Regardless of your opinions on police in this country, no one should face execution in the street by armed psychopaths that face no oversight, and even though the law agrees with me, reality and the judicial system typically do not. This was the source of fear and outrage for the protestors, that yet another precedent would be set that it is ok for police to murder black people. Users took to social media to not only inform the public of what actually happened, but to also organize and demonstrate. The debate about racial injustice was happening online, and organization followed. Facebook groups and every other platform was used to spread information about collective action not only in Minneapolis but across the country and even the world. And let us not forget the result, the murderers of George Floyd were prosecuted and convicted.
The truly amazing thing about this event was it showed the internet's and social media's power to unite people behind a common goal. Protestors were empowered and encouraged by each other. The collective community grew exponentially in the fight against police brutality. Organizations like Black Lives Matter emerged with a newfound legitimacy. Through these channels people were encouraged to mobilize and take action, whether it be on the street or online. I would hope that those who previously dismissed online activism as meaningless took note over the last two years of just how powerful a tool social media can be. How can they so easily dismiss a technology that enables information to be transmitted to billions of people instantly? Of course it is because those in control seek to control information and the narrative to their own benefit.
As we move forward, regular people know that their greatest weapon against injustice is readily in their hand: a phone with a camera and internet connection. It is becoming increasingly difficult for police, and on the larger scale, governments, to control information and the exchange of ideas. They will continue to try, of course, and to go into details about that would be a whole study unto itself, but suffice to say misinformation and the existence of misinformation will both be used to stifle free speech. The only way to fight misinformation is with true information. I don't believe censoring "fake news" is an answer, because who decides what is fake? Whoever has more power? The only way for the public to win this fight is with the opposite of censorship, to disseminate all of the information the powers to be don't want you to see. Social media, as we saw in 2020, offers an incredible opportunity to fight back meaningfully.
For more information on the aftermath of George Floyd you can start here: https://www.nbcnews.com/george-floyd-death
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