I was scrolling through a Twitter account, actually a few of them, who were identifying the domestic terrorists who stormed the Capitol yesterday.
I started thinking about how big of a role social media played in this attack on democracy. This is just me brainstorming.
1. The various groups used social media to organize.
2. Their leader (Trump) fed them their lies through his Twitter account.
3. They then spread their own lies and conspiracies through social media.
4. They then documented their criminal acts while inside the Capitol, making it easy for the FBI to identify them and place them at the scene of the crime. Some even confessed to what they did on their live stream.
So, why was this a surprise to the intelligence community? Was it because they didn’t think these people who threatened American Democracy online were this smart to pull this off? I’ve seen some of the Parler posts, and well, they really need to enable spell check. And these folks were dumb enough to lay it ALL out in the open for all to see.
The role that social media played in this will be important. Why? It shows how fundamentally unprepared we have been to hold and control media in the palm of our hands. The terrorists have found their in. All this shows is the lack of media literacy.
I have so many ideas in my head about all this that haven’t come together yet. I will find the connections soon enough, but it’s fascinating to me that I can go on Twitter and experience the riot through the eyes (phone) of the terrorist. And that they didn’t care about the cameras. They were excited and proud to be destroying a sacred place where democracy and hope lives.
We are an “always on” society now. There’s always a camera rolling somewhere. These terrorists even took selfies with Capitol police.
As they walked into the Capitol, many had their phones held high, documenting the moment. The moment THEY were news. They were documenting their own infamous story.
Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the Internet, wanted us to interact with each other. He wanted to connect us in new ways to share ideas, share opinions, and learn from each other. He didn’t want us to destroy democracy through the internet. He has spoken about his disappointment in recent years.
As I read at these social media posts, I was sad. I became enraged. I felt that social media has now become a place where shame is not even considered. And these people are shocked they have been fired from their jobs. These people don’t realize there’s a potential mass audience watching. If you’re using social media, you have a responsibility. Some people will like their posts and validate the terrorists’ behavior. Some people tag the FBI.
I’m not sure what the lessons we will learn from this yet. I’m still processing. I keep thinking about the importance of citizen journalism and the fun of connecting with people–but look at what social media is capable of. It’s turned us into the LOOK AT ME EVEN WHEN I AM DESTROYING DEMOCRACY! Are we really that desperate for attention? Is this the Kardashian effect? Where we want to influence even if it’s promoting evil? Has Trump taught a section of the population that no matter what you post on social media, there are no consequences? He didn’t lose his job for tweeting falsehoods and promoting hateful and violent speech.
We all must be vigilant if we see posts that are lies, promote violence, and hate. Report it—fact check. And remember, if you’re going to commit a crime, take OFF your name tag from work before a camera takes a photo of you.
