Social Media and Prejudice

Social Media and Prejudice

Social media websites and platforms have been of significant influence in the world today. Social media websites are not limited to conversing sites and play a part in the news industry, whereby people are updated on new stories developing in their states of residence. Subsequently, social media websites have many impacts and advantages in societies by spreading awareness in societies and allowing people to express their beliefs and personalities. Therefore, most social media posts are set out to evoke emotional responses from people (Farris, Compton & Herrera, 2020). Also, people personalize their social media platforms by posting pictures of themselves or items and articles they either relate to or agree with. Accordingly, as people express their opinions and beliefs on social media platforms, discriminatory actions, and comments are evident on posts about race, gender, and immigrants.

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What keywords did you use, and why did you choose them? How easy or difficult was it to find posts using those keywords? What are your thoughts about why it was easy or difficult to find the information?

The words chosen in the search include, ‘go back to where you came from ‘ concerning race, #end gender-based violence concerning gender, and #immigration concerning immigrants.

Finding posts concerning the topics of race, gender, and immigrants was not cumbersome. Accordingly, finding posts that project negative stereotypes or discriminatory attitudes or posts taking a social justice perspective was easy as these topics are conversed over regularly between people. Subsequently, as a common phenomenon in everyday life, people turn to social media websites to condemn specific actions or advocate for them.

The first post concerns race. Racism is the most significant source of prejudice in most societies. This prejudice occurs, although most people in the world live in countries that aren’t the source of their ancestry (Bosco et al., 2017). The phrase “go back to where you came from” is used frequently on Twitter by people to evoke emotions against people who are believed not to belong in their countries of residence.

The second post concerns gender. Self-identification impacts the gender identification of individuals. Gender-based violence is often against women and girls, and it can be physical or sexual violence subjected either by spouses in relationships or by stalkers (John et al., 2020). The phrase “#end gender-based violence” is used on Twitter to spread awareness against gender-based violence.

The third post concerns immigrants. Immigrants phase challenges from the immigration process and their integration into the foreign society (Bosco et al., 2017). The phrase “# immigration” is used on Twitter to spread awareness of the immigration process and any improvements on it with emphasis on the lives of immigrants.

In conclusion, relevant topics in societies continue to be addressed on social media platforms.

Was it easy or difficult to determine the beliefs or refers of the individual posting? What cues did you use to determine those attitudes and beliefs?

Posts on social media have the objective of obtaining reactions, especially emotionally, from viewers. Subsequently, people post articles or messages on their social media pages with various cues to evoke these reactions. The posts show what the individuals are addressing, and their emotions on the topics are evident in the words used. Various cues are used to determine the emotions being evoked in the posts, such as message cues and other cues (Winter et al., 2016).

The most significant of the cues is the message cues. The posts posted convey specific messages that either support the topic being addressed or disagree with the topic. The message being conveyed evokes reactions and emotions from the viewers. The first post, figure 1 2021, on “go back to where you came from,” is a racist statement that promotes racism. In the post, the individual illustrates how a racist person asked them to go back to their country quite rudely, addressing the brown skin color in the process. The message is spreading awareness of racism, representing the individual’s attitude and belief, and it will evoke reactions from people who either relate to the post or non-supporters of racism.

The second post, figure 2 2018, on gender-based violence, focuses on gender prejudice that has led to the deaths of mothers and children. The post’s message is celebrating the falling mothers and spreading awareness of the fatality associated with gender-based violence. Therefore, viewers will relate to the post, especially those who have witnessed or have been victims of gender-based violence.

The third post, figure 3, 2021, on immigration, focuses on immigrants and the improper immigration process focusing on Green Cards. The immigration process has limitations that have seen most immigrants illegally migrating to other countries. Illegal immigration has led to the loss of many lives, which drives the desire for a more efficient immigration process. Based on the multiple reactions to the post, it is evident that most people have the opinions and beliefs of the individual in the message.

Do you think the posters would say the same thing in the same way if they were having a face-to-face discussion on this topic? Does it matter? Why or why not?

Posts relate directly to people’s attitudes and beliefs. Therefore, the individuals would say the same thing if they had face-to-face discussions. This fact is in relation to the messages they are conveying and what they are fighting for. They address topics that matter in society and should be addressed, and awareness should be spread. Articles posted are a form of news reporting that is either supported by witnesses or by other facts by evoking emotions from viewers and influencing their reactions (Farris et al., 2020).

Posts act as a form of news reporting with the objective of evoking emotional reactions from the viewers will influence the presentation by the individuals in face-to-face discussions. In the first post, figure 1 2021, the individual will have a better opportunity to address the issue of race based on the rude comment received from the person once encountered. Expressing the emotions during the discussion will enable people to feel the hurt and disappointment the individual felt and evoke sympathy and dislike for racism.

In the second post, figure 2 2018, the individual will spread awareness of the brutality of gender-based violence. In some cases, gender-based violence leads to the loss of lives. Therefore, as the individual addresses this topic face to face, emotions will be evoked in audiences. These emotions may influence people undergoing gender-based violence to speak up or leave the toxic relationship that may cost them their lives.

In the third post, Figure 3 2021, the individual will spread awareness of the limitations of the immigration process. Most immigrants who tried their luck with green cards and failed will support the individual’s perspective on immigration. Therefore, evoking emotions in the audience will influence their reactions to the message and eventually influence the immigration process.

Some individuals use their name and/or photo and others used a “handle” or a pseudonym with no photo or a photo of something other than themselves. How does this affect the tone or content of the post?

Most individuals use their names and photos on their social media pages, while others use neither their names nor their photos on their pages. In some cases, the pages that do not hold an individual’s name or photo are used in creating memes, and sometimes the individual does not wish to have their identity revealed. The identities used in social media posts impact the tone and content of posts.

In the first post, figure 1 2021, the individual uses their name and photo. This fact impacts the tone and content of the post. The individual addresses racism in the post based on first-hand experience, whereby a person asked that they go back to where they came from regarding their brown skin color. The use of a picture on the page emphasizes the post’s content since an image is associated with the post. Also, the tone of the post is influenced by the emphasis on the content. Subsequently, viewers’ reactions are influenced, and emotions are evoked as they picture the occurrence of racist actions.

In the second post, figure 2 2018, the individual also uses their name and photo. Additionally, a post is shared with an image of a woman portrayed to represent mothers who have lost their lives. The fact that the individual’s photo represents a woman and the photo used in the shared tweet also represents a mother, emphasizes the content of the post with reference to gender-based violence. The post celebrates mothers who have lost their lives due to gender-based violence contributing to the post’s tone. The same case is evident in the third post, figure 3 2021. Therefore, the name and photo affect the tone and content of posts.

What message does the individual’s posting want the reader to come away believing about different social groups? What cues led you to determine the message?

The messages of different posts vary based on the messages being discussed. Subsequently, the messages are all different from the three selected topics as they all address different topics. Cues used to determine the messages of posts vary between message cues and social cues (Winter, Metzger & Flanagin, 2016).

Message cues influence the message of the post significantly. Message cues include the content of posts, the stand on a topic, and the influence of freedom of choice in the selection of topics. In the second post, figure 2 2018, these three message cues are evident in convincing readers of gender-based violence results. First and foremost, the individual first states their opinion on the topic of gender-based violence. Topic selection is the first step of drawing viewers, followed by the content. The content of the post emphasizes the risks associated with gender-based violence by celebrating the lives lost to gender-based violence. The third cue involves the freedom of choice of both the individual posting and viewers’ take on the posts. The individual shares another post in the post to emphasize the topic, using the freedom of choice to select the most appropriate shared post. Viewers’ freedom of choice is evident in the choice to read the post and their take that may lead to liking the post, sharing the post, or commenting on it.

Social cues also influence viewers’ take on a topic. Social cues on social media include the option to “recommend, like, share, or comment on articles” (Winter et al., 2016). The more social cues an article has, the more its message is shared on social media. This fact is evident in the third post, where the individual’s post sends a message about the need to improve the immigration process. Therefore, cues impact viewers’ takes on posts.

What has been your overall experience with this assignment? How has it affected your refers of social media?

This assignment has been of significant influence on the take on social media platforms. Most people take social media platforms as sites for fun and recreation; however, this assignment pointed to the use of social media as a form of news outlet. As a form of news outlet, it is used to spread awareness of things happening at the moment. Also, it has illustrated that comments and posts can be prejudiced concerning various topics such as gender, race, immigrants, and sexuality.

Therefore, with prejudice evident on social media, sensitivity must be practiced while posting and commenting on posts. The posts and comments share messages with the viewers, and the impacts might be positive or negative. Consequently, message cues should be applied to evoke the correct type of emotions in viewers. The posts used in this assignment represent the importance of sensitivity and the application of message cues to evoke reactions from viewers.

The importance of social cues on social media has been made evident. Social cues influence the reaction to the messages of various posts and also influence the number of viewers. The more people view articles; the more people will share the post and agree with the message of the post. Therefore, social media is influenced by a number of factors that can be exploited to spread awareness and knowledge of important topics in societies.

In conclusion, social media is of vital importance in the world today. It is used to shed light on social issues and create a platform where people converse on these issues spreading awareness, and knowledge and eventually finding solutions for the issues exposed. Therefore, people should exploit these platforms to advocate for their beliefs that will improve the lives of people in various societies.

References

(2018). Retrieved 26 May 2021, from https://twitter.com/veritycoyle/status/995890882795720704

(2021). Retrieved 25 May 2021, from https://twitter.com/rizvistan/status/1396172062805331970

(2021). Retrieved 26 May 2021, from https://twitter.com/anirb_das/status/1395822118022094850

Bosco, C., Patti, V., Bogetti, M., Conoscenti, M., Ruffo, G., Schifanella, R., & Stranisci, M. (2017). Tools and Resources for Detecting Hate and Prejudice against Immigrants in Social Media. Retrieved 25 May 2021, from https://iris.unito.it/retrieve/handle/2318/1637776/332903/paperBATH.pdf

Farris, D., Compton, D., & Herrera, A. (2020). Gender, Sexuality, and Race in the Digital Age. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-29855-5

John, N., Casey, S., Carino, G., & McGovern, T. (2020). Lessons Never Learned: Crisis and gender‐based violence. Developing World Bioethics, 20(2), 65-68. doi: 10.1111/dewb.12261

Winter, S., Metzger, M., & Flanagin, A. (2016). Selective Use of News Cues: A Multiple-Motive Perspective on Information Selection in Social Media Environments. Journal Of Communication, 66(4), 669-693. doi: 10.1111/jcom.12241

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Week 6 Assignment: Social Media and Prejudice

In this assignment, we will examine the relationship between social media and prejudice.

Scan social media websites to find three posts that reflect negative stereotypes and/or prejudiced attitudes, or posts that take a social justice perspective on the topic (e.g., the site suggests ways to combat these attitudes and beliefs).

**Be sure to include links or images of the posts as attachments.

Respond to each of the following questions in 300-350 words. The entire submission should include a total of 3 scholarly references to support your position.

1. What key words did you use and why did you choose them? How easy or difficult was it to find posts using those key words? What are your thoughts about why it was easy or difficult to find the information?
2. Was it easy or difficult to determine the beliefs or refers of the individual posting? What cues did you use to determine those attitudes and beliefs?
3. Do you think the posters would say the same thing in the same way if they were having a face-to-face discussion on this topic? Does it matter? Why or why not?
4. Some individuals use their name and/or photo and others used a “handle” or a pseudonym with no photo or a photo of something other than themselves. How does this affect the tone or content of the post?
5. What message does the individual’s posting want the reader to come away believing about different social groups? What cues led you to determine the message?
6. What has been your overall experience with this assignment? How has it affected your refers of social media?