Social Media as an Amplifier: Social media has, as with virtually every other aspect of culture and our very lives, enabled immediate communication with millions. In studying the race riots of 1967 in Detroit, Michigan it was evident that one vital factor in the riots being even more destructive than a previous riot in 1947 was that many people had access to up to date information on the growing tensions via live television reports.
Much of the same could be said about the Watts Riots of 1965 and the 1992 riots followed by the videotaped beating of Rodney King. In 1965 there were only three major television networks but in 1992, there were four network news channels plus several cable news channels. Information spread quickly and as a result; the amount of the destruction was multiplied.
The LA Riots of 1992 were not localized, as major cities across the US also saw mass protests. However, none of the previous mentioned incidents saw a scope and scale seen in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd in 2020. The protests and riots were not only nationwide, they were seen on a global scale. The previously mentioned riots in Detroit and Los Angeles came before the dawn of Social Media and for one to receive information/news coverage, they had to be near a television or witnessing it in person. Yet with the 2020 riots, millions of people had access to immediate information in the palms of their hands, information shared by thousands of other people in the middle of the protests.
Without social media, we likely would not have seen demonstrations on such a large scale and without technology itself, we may never have seen George Floyd’s evil and tragic end, which led to the demonstrations.
Digital Activism: After the 2012 Aurora mass-shooting in Colorado (which I find interesting the media would sugar coat and not call a massacre), I posted a picture of a heart with the State Flag of Colorado. Minutes later I was overcome with a feeling of shame, asking myself “Is that all I can do?” There is a saying that reads in part “Faith without works is dead” which reminds me of the futility of only posting pictures or empty words like the now comical “Thoughts and Prayers” that have to date, not saved a single life or improved race relations.
Also, there is a need to vet anything and everything we see and hear on social media, especially considering this age of “influencers” who are not in it for the cause, but rather for the “likes” or “clout”. For example, during the riots and protests here in San Diego in 2020, an aspiring “influencer” was recording live downtown. At one point he sat down for a break, then continued walking. Moments later he realized he had left his backpack behind. Upon returning to the location and learning the backpack was gone, he began saying “Someone stole my bag”, repeating himself well over a dozen times. Then an unthinkable but unsurprising thing happened; the “influencer” said “Some black guy stole my bag!”
As you might imagine, he was immediately verbally eviscerated by the hundreds of viewers. The bag itself was left by him and he admitted this, yet moments after this his knee-jerk reaction of blaming a specific race all but guaranteed his hopes of being an influencer were dashed by his own prejudice and ignorance.
All Lives Matter: I believe the phrase “All Lives Matter” as a response is a sad indication of the systemic racism we have in our country, and is very hindering to productive conversations. In viewing various posts and comment threads during and after the 2020 protests, most if not all replies using “All Lives Matter” indicated an “Us vs Them” mentality. On that note, there were a lot of replies stating “Not all cops are bad…”, yet when speaking of African Americans (or any other minority), they were referred to as “They” or “Them”; generalizing and entire race while also excusing racists officers behaviors since not all are “like that”.
