When the When the global event happens, first comes the expression of shock and the blow by blow recounting of how it unfolds. After the event, comes the emotional response. The politics of profile photos. The black square maybe. Or the pithy quote, or some other symbol of solidarity with the victims.
I always wait with interest for the next step. The first dissenter. A reasoned, intelligent voice that cuts through the chest-thumping and goes against the flow. “Here’s why I don’t blacken my profile — don’t get me wrong, of course I’m appalled by what happened.”
This results in the next wave of sharing on social media, which brings about the counter-move against the first dissenter. A reasoned and thoughtful piece that shows that while the first dissenter was reasoned and thoughtful, they completely missed the point. Because the true subtlety of what happened, it says, is something else altogether.
Another wave of sharing ensues. People who’ve stayed away up to now are able to endorse and align themselves as part of the (small) herd that going against the herd that’s going against the herd.
Since more and more days have gone by since the triggering event, each new writer has more time to reflect, consider all the arguments, and most important, hone their pieces. Each argument for or against (or for and against) gets shinier and more delicate. Some paragraphs in these articles have to be read three times to get the intricacy of the thread of their thought.
Having a bit of fun
And then, the world releases Velociraptor. The writer who strides in, and turns it all upside down with insider information. Maybe he’s a senior policeman. Or he grew up in the affected neighbourhood. Or she’s a pilot for the concerned airline. Sometimes, it ends here, but sometimes there’s a second wave of killer dinosaur. The person who disagrees with the person in the know, because they are even more in the know. You came from the city that’s affected? I’m writing this from under the rubble, tucking it into the collar of the rescue dog. I’m having a bit of fun, but think about how this level of dialogue is unprecedented. In a matter of days were are engaging in a global conversation, and social media plays a huge part in this. While some of these articles are on mainstream media, very often, an article in an obscure online journal or even personal blog post breaks through and becomes part of the discourse. The medium is the froth of sharing and re-sharing via Twitter and Facebook and whatever else those crazy kids are on these days.
Articles scattered across ideologies and geographies become intensely personal. We share them on the same feeds on which we share family photos and wish each other for our birthdays. And as audience, we are in the same compact. Sometimes, I don’t even notice where the article is, but remember who shared it. Sometimes I take it more personally than I should, because someone I know told me so. Maybe I’m motivated to write a response, when I normally wouldn’t. The medium is the message. I (probably) am what I share.
We often think of “freedom of expression” when it’s curtailed or controversial, but don’t always remember it at times like these: when it’s possibly at the most free it’s been since the dawn of human communication. So free that we’re able to trap content and entwine it with our identities. What is the real message then? What is changing when we feel that we’re a part of everything that happens around the world? When everything matters, can anything matter?
Gautam Raja is a freelance journalist based in Los Angeles, USA.
