Shame on You: Episode 2

In a recent blog post, I asked my peers to share their opinions on how we, in our current society of social media and digital consumption, express social disapproval. Here is a quick summary of the responses I got, plus some extra thoughts on the side.

1. Ridicule. Just think of the possibilities here- this could include anything from snide comments on blog posts (not to give you any ideas...), derogatory status updates, or disgruntled tweets. If you've got a problem, why not just say so? Technology and social media give us plenty of different options. Making fun makes a point, and can be used to draw attention to offensive behaviors, institutions, or individuals.
2. Content Creation. This was a brilliant insight that I had not previously considered. Just think of all the SNL and parody-type videos you've seen. Imagine the endless supply of BYU memes or "Dear blank, Please blank" letters. Though usually lighthearted, sarcastic, and just plain silly, they often bring out themes that unsettle the public. This could also include more businesslike content, such as political cartoons, blog posts, or online newspaper articles. If words alone will not suffice, individuals can express dissatisfaction with the help of images, videos, and a whole host of digital content.
3. Unfriend/Ignore. We've all done it at one point or another. For me, it was that old high school acquaintance that suddenly developed a very colorful vocabulary in his Facebook statuses. And that girl that got a little too happy with her camera on the beach in Mexico, and the club, and everywhere else that gives an excuse to wear short shorts and low tops... Yech. Whatever your reasoning, social media allows us to delete friendships at the click of a button. If you're not feeling quite that extreme, you can use it to filter desirable and undesirable social interactions. Creeper keeps trying to chat with you online? Easy- justclick the "Go offline to Creeper" button! These technological mediators let us control what content and people we wish to recognize, and by extension, give us the power to exercise negative judgment when we wish.
4. Music. After playing with another fun blog project, The Scarlet Letter Song, I came to realize the great significance of music, not only in pop culture, but in society as a whole. A song is an act of criticism just like any academic paper is, just catchier and easier to remember. It not only unites large groups of people, but also acts as an inclusive agent by which others may come to share those common attitudes and beliefs. Music can strike at what is wrong with the world, and uphold what is right, all in about three minutes time.

That is by no means a complete list, but those are several methods for expressing social disapproval. Because social media acts as an extension for and an exaggeration of human relationships, all the petty judgment, unfair stereotyping, and public shaming we encounter here must logically extend into cyberspace. Rather than scarlet letters, however, in that setting we use sans serif. Those phenomena listed above are things to watch for and acknowledge, for in so doing, we may begin to exert greater control over our online interactions. And who couldn't be a little better at that??

On second thought, don't answer that... let's not judge.