Tools For Change

Unlike the people who swear social media is satan's spawn, a endless spiral of doom and self hatred that can only result in feeling awful about yourself, I don't believe that social media has had a more negative influence on my life than it has a positive. The biggest problems with social media are similar to problems seen outside screens, just altered. Photoshop versus plastic surgery, cyber bullying versus bullying, e-waste versus pollution. And though all of those things are awful, I have found more light on tiktok and instagram than I have found darkness. I have made friends from all over the world, America to Wales to Australia, and as a person with severe mental health issues, they have literally kept me alive at some points in time. I've been able to promote causes that I care about strategically, as well as just posting for fun, and that has had an impact in the world around me. Daniel Handler, Lemony Snicket's true name, the author of A Series of Unfortunate Events, is a sex offender, and after I found that out, I did research and posted a video on it, urging people to not but his books new, to not financially support a man who has done awful things. I don't know if it actually did any good, but the video reached over 100,000 people and the idea that if even 10 of those people don't buy the 75 dollar box set of his books, if they urge their friends to to buy them, we're helping expose and punish him for his actions. Especially for young people, social media can be empowering if used right. I know so many teens and children like myself who really want to do something, take a stand, have a cause, but feel stuck because they can't vote, and no one will listen to them. On apps dominated by teens, it's unbelievable the amount of activism that is done, things that have really impacted the world. Social media, like anything technological, is flawed and has dangers, but can also bring massive amounts of change to the world. I urge anyone feeling stuck to start there.