How Social Media Impacts Society's Perception of Crucial Events

Iman Chaudhry

6F14

Growing exponentially prevalent in recent years, social media has had a profound on every individual's perceptions of the world. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, with people investing so much time upon various social media platforms, one’s own perception of reality may have altered, preventing them from articulating their thoughts and opinions on real-world events without the influence of others.

Take into account the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial. It was the most public main-streamed trial of the year; every court day was aired on YouTube, and other streaming platforms (such as Twitch). Many popular streamers and internet personalities began commentating and voicing their opinions on the trial as a whole. This whole trial seemed to separate men and women, causing divide amongst a very influential younger generation. People from all around the world were invested in this case, with TikTok being a prime example of both the support and the animosity. Initially, the public was unsure about which of the two were guilty, putting them in a difficult position on whose side to support. A few years before the trial, Depp had come forward with video evidence of the domestic violence he had experienced from Amber Heard during their relationship. As this trial rose in popularity, this seemed to get the public's attention and raise awareness towards the case, showing how easily social media trends can influence people into changing important world news. Rushing in defence of Depp, the public flew into a tailspin accusing Heard of being abusive without knowing the full story.

Another issue with social media that is important to mention, is the romanticisation of serial killers (such as Ted Bundy), who incur the editing of their video footage to music, which is then shared on social media platforms with controversial subtitles. Richard Ramirez has recently come back into the spotlight because of Netflix’s release of the real crime documentary “The Night Stalker”- not for the crimes he commited, but for his ‘charming’ appearance. Videos publicly shared and reposted on TikTok and Instagram with revolting comments, such as "he's misunderstood”, are incredibly disrespectful to his victims and their relatives. These people who are partaking in this ‘trend’ are all chronically online and are detached from reality.

The term "Chronically Online" has recently become popular on the internet and refers to individuals and the behaviours they indulge in. “Chronically online” refers to people who spend so much time online, that it distorts their perception of reality and makes it difficult for them to speak effectively on real-world issues like politics or social justice. Someone who is constantly online has a tendency to point out "problematic" conduct that others may not see to be a problem. Or they could make absurd criticisms of behaviour. This further demonstrates how, particularly in today's environment, individuals often fail to give significant events the full attention they require.

More recently, on September 8th 2022, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Of The United Kingdom passed away peacefully in her sleep. People all around the world are respectfully grieving and mourning her passing, which devastated many. However, the passing of a monumental monarch was swiftly made into an internet joke by the media. Some have already shared edited photographs and created "memes" about her death just minutes after it was announced. This made her passing a ‘joke’ between friends, when in reality her death affected an entire commonwealth. The memes were shared across Twitter and quickly moved to Instagram reels and were spread everywhere in a short span of time. People on the internet missed the significance of the actual tragedy that had occurred because they were so preoccupied with earning likes and retweets on their postings. People continue to be callous and inconsiderate toward significant social and political events.

In conclusion, people on social media are gaining too much power to affect society. Our generation's maturity levels appear to be declining, as individuals are still more interested in little matters than in the intricate details of global events.