UNITED STATES—I saw something interesting on television this morning and it got me thinking. Hmm, the media is much more intrusive than many of us would like to acknowledge. Why does it seem once something hits the Internet, it travels across the media like a massive outbreak that can’t be controlled? The scary factor isn’t that it breaks so fast, it’s the idea that all news outlets report, as quickly as possible not considering what has been reported could be a false truth.
So what brings this topic to the surface? Well, good ole social media. In particular I’m referring to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. It’s not an issue that people post photos to these sites, it’s the fact of what they post that matters most. Aren’t people aware, that once it hits the waves of the Internet that, that’s it? There is no turning back, there are no second chances. Think before you act. This brings to the recent phenomenon that has taken over America: the selfie. Yes, I’ve already voiced my concerns in the past on why this is an issue to me.
A selfie is nothing more than a person’s thirst for attention. To have everyone say “Look at me!” Don’t ask me why we live in such a celebrity-filled culture where everyone wants and needs to be the center of the attention. Just be you and the attention will come to you without trying. Unfortunately, celebrities have to stay relevant and Twitter and Facebook has made that so much easier for them to do. Rather it’s a photo in the buff or close to the buff, its done time and time again, week after week it’s someone new.
This week’s latest casualty is actor James Franco, who posted a photo of himself nearly nude on Instagram. My first thought was, what’s the big problem? Then I later realized almost every single media outlet was talking about this. I stopped and asked myself, “Why?” Is this really news, even in the entertainment news arena, could we actually consider this newsworthy? Probably not, but it doesn’t matter. It’s already been put out there so everyone is talking about it.
This entire discussion is to place a focal point on the issue of social awareness, not just from the celebrity perspective, but from the media perspective also. Be responsible, don’t put anything on social media that may represent you in a bad light or that may stir a discussion. Heck how about not posting anything inflammatory at all. Keep it clean, keep it straightforward. Let the media dig a bit deeper to find quality news content to report.
That is the major problem nowadays, what these so called ‘news journalists’ consider news really is not news, but we eat it up as if it is. Like talk about some of the crisis’ taking place in Third-World countries, how about we decipher a plan to end food hunger, how about we tackle homelessness, the decrease in jobs, the decrease in quality paying jobs, the decrease in education. Am I boring you yet? That’s my point; we rather discuss ‘things’ that are so irrelevant, so minute, that we forget to discuss the things that actually matter.
The things that we should want to solve, the issues that should be at the forefront of our tongues when we are about to spark a conversation. Some might say it’s a heavy topic to tackle. So what, if we don’t discuss it how can we ever expect to solve it. That’s our problem as a nation. We’re so worried about what’s happening in the social sphere that we don’t take a moment to see what we can do to make a difference.
This is not to point fingers and say all celebs are self-absorbed individuals who crave more and more attention, it’s to bring a point of social awareness on the Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other countless social media sites. Take a moment and think about a self-indulgence moment you had a social media. What did you say to yourself after the fact? Did you regret it? Did you think it was stupid? Perhaps the most important question is: was it relevant?
By Trevor Roberts
