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[nubianapril]

‘‘The pandemic led to internet and social media servers becoming overwhelmed. Like many others, I find myself in a constant loop to check social media as we remain stuck in our houses’

Social media has never been more overwhelmed. With a vast majority of the population in lockdown, people are using it as a source of work and entertainment. Leading to people picking up most of their information and education from the internet resulting in a spike in fake news. 

‘a way for people to envision the circulation of discourse across social space and time, and thereby conjure a sense of social life beyond the bounds of their experience.’ James Slotta (2019)

I often found myself reading information that I wanted to believe, rather than was factually true. Being locked indoors, with no sense of when usual life will resume- good information is used as a form of comfort. 

‘‘It is well established that humans are subject to what psychologists call ‘confirmation bias’ – that is, we tend to believe things that confirm what we already believe sooner than we do things that challenge our views.’’ Jonathan Mair (2017) 

In todays post- truth society, the topic of confirmation bias couldnt be more true. A post corona world where people are at fear for their lives drives people to seek means to deny their reality.

[nubianapril]

‘Being African, I am part of the Black diaspora, but I acknowledge that there are great differences in our cultures, language, religion and experiences. We are a product of the motherland splattered across the globe’

My ‘Black American bubble’ that eventually drained me emotionally as I witnessed the injustices of people that look like me. But I also gained a sense of appreciation of black American culture and how a group fo displaced people were able to form strong influential identities, influencing members of their community to come together during hardship. My thinking became saturated and I observed that some people have bigger voices than others. Whether what you’re saying is truthful or not, the more likes and retweets you receive, the more your opinion is valued- leading to collective thinking.

‘’Bubbles subvert a liberal democratic ideal of discourse, in which inclusive participation in a “common space” of discussion and debate (Taylor 2004:83) provides the means for diverse interests and perspectives to be tempered by reason (Habermas 1989) or mutual recognition (Sanders 1997)’’ James Slotta (2019)

A diaspora so large still consists of people with different history and life experiences. What we see on social media may not be our real life reality, but it does a good job and making it feel that way. 

[nubianapril]

Hashtags such as ‘#BlackLivesMatter’ and ‘#SayHerName’ led to thousands of filtered tweets where I immediately formed my views through images posted and opinions from dozens of people about the current racial injustices. 

My sadness and outrage was particularly formed after viewing videos that consisted of incidents of racially motivated violence inflicted on Black Americans and other POC. 

‘’Coercion and persuasion will continue to be decisive factors in information warfare as more countries attempt to build influence operations on social media’’  Jarred Prier (2017)

Every social group and class uses social media sharing to influence others and gather information regardless of economic standing. Ranging from ordinary civilians to powerful political powers. 

[nubianapril]

‘Black twitter isn’t simply a place where people connect. It has played a valuable role in furthering social and political movements. Black American’s use black twitter to gain quick access to issues plaguing their community and to gain traction to organise protests’

As the progression and use of social media ballooned, the 2010′s became a significant year in ‘modern day Black youth activism’ Sekou Franklin(2016) which addresses the social injustice within the black American community.

[nubianapril]

‘Black twitter is a powerful platform that even had American politicians and news networks talking about them. It’s a platform with great influence in general discourse leading to people from other social groups wanting a place there’‘

I began by following ‘Black twitter’ accounts that ranged from activists, black business platforms and comedians. Immediately, an algorithm was created and more and more black twitter accounts were suggested to me and I was able to witness how Black twitter became a social phenomenon.

‘Research shows that people rely on social media for their news information to an ever greater extent. That means that they are predominantly exposed to information that is shared by people in their own social circle and they are trapped in the ‘Facebook bubble’, or ‘social media echo chamber’ Jonathan Mair

[nubianapril]

‘Black twitter, a platform within a platform.’

‘’Black Twitter is a community largely consisting of black users on the social network Twitter focused on issues of interest to the black community, particularly in the United States.’‘ André Brock (2012)

Over the years, I’ve witnessed a growth of community based platforms on social media, particularly on twitter. Black twitter is a community within the platform where people across the Black diaspora communicate with like minded people to share experiences and discuss social issues.