Research proposal 

For my sophomore research paper I have decided to go with the essay topic of what are the positive and negative effects of social media on the fight against racism? This research question is important because we can see how our world and society with social media is and if it really helps with the racism movement or does it make it worse. I think that this is an important question to research especially with the world we live in today, because most of our population is on social media. This research question can also open our eyes to see new and different perspectives on the world we live in.

Abstract 

Social media has significant impacts on racism in our society today that can be both positive and negative. It is well established that social media has quantities of power in the world we live in. Individual victims such as minorities face racism and inequality day and night but with social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook we get the opportunity to engage in the largest audiences in the world to spread the message. This research paper aims to determine how social media can have both positive and negative effects on race and racism. Specifically this shows how not only can social media spread the word to people it can also change people’s views and opinions. In an online survey that Pew research conducted they found many things out that linked racism to social media. These results suggested that social media can both have positive and negative outcomes when it comes to racism.

With the research I found I see how social media has an enormous effect on our fight against racism, because with social media we can promote, share, and ingade in the largest audiences in the world. Social media has both positive and negative impacts on racism in our society today.

With social media it has been shown to change peoples views on racism, with my gatherings from Pew Research it has been shown that 23% roughly a quarter of social media users say social media led them to change their views on the Black Lives Matter movement. This shows how social media can really sway people's opinions. Politically speaking Pew Research states that Democratic social media users are slightly more likely to change their views and opinions then conservitive republican users, But the majority of the US which is 76% say that they have not changed their views because of something they have saw on social media. This could either be a good or a bad thing seeing how plenty of the time social media does not always put out the truth or they bend the truth. A good deal of people are using social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to get their news with that being said we could be in a truth crisi. “It is a fact increasingly manifest that presentation of real news has sharpened the minds and judgement of men and women everywhere in these days of real public discussion. We Americans begin to know the difference between the truth on the one side and the falsehood on the other, no matter how often the falsehood is iterated and reiterated. Repetition does not turn a lie into the truth.” (Roosevelt).

Social media has affected Black adolescents tremendously, as Florida International University News states that Discrimonation on social media results in higher depression and anxiety in young minority males. “When participants were exposed to ethnic discrimination on social media directly, or vicariously on a friends social media page, it was found to have adverse effects on mental health.”(Canco). This Shows the dark and negative side of social media and the fight against racism because social media posts that are affecting minority groups are also affecting their mental health.  

Social media has so much power to get things done. For example, the Black Lives matter movement went from a social media post to a global movement all because of simple social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, ect. With the recent traumatic death of George Floyd a sloge chanted by thousands of people started a hashtag. The hashtag also known as #BlackLivesMatter was trending on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to spread the message. These social media platforms can be a very good thing especially for something like this because as I have stated before with these social media platforms you can promote and engage with the largest audiences in the world. 

 How social media has influenced the Black Lives Matter Protest, on May 25th a video capturing George Floyd’s murdered by 4 police officers which rapidly ignited a fire of protesters. As the New Yorker states, “ Every Historic event has it’s ideal medium documentation- the novel, the photograph, the television- and what we’re witnessing feels like an exceptionally “online” movement of social unrest.”(Hu) This quote is very important and powerful because it shows how the power of social media can show and get people to protest and make a movement out of something. It also has started a fire of social unrest because people got very mad when they saw the social media post about George Floyd and were so furious about what they had saw on a post that they were very violent by rioting and being so violent it's uncontrollable. Going back to my Thesis this could either be viewed as a positive and a negative. This could be viewed as a positive because even though the violent action may be uncalled for, you are really spreading the word and getting your name out there to make a difference in our society. This can also be viewed as a negative because at the same time it is getting the world out there 

The violence, protesting, and burning down businesses can be very bad because a lot of people lost their jobs and businesses.

How materials in class relate to the positives and negatives of social media and the fight against racism, The Article My Dungeon Shook By James Bladwin really captures the true form of racism. James Baldwin is writing to his nephew about discrimination in America “ For this your home my friend do not be  driven from it ; great men have done great things here, and will again, and we can make America what America must become.” (Baldwin 4). There is a connection between how James felt back then about racism and how people feel about it now. Minorities and people that are trying to make a movement against racism feel that we have come a long way but we still have way more to go.

In conclusion racism and inequality has always been a hard topic to talk about but with the help of social media we can talk more and help get the word out there, because not talking about the problem will do way more damage than talking about it. With that being said social media has many balances of opposite forces .As James Baldwin once said “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.

Works Cited

Delaney Ruston, MD. “The Good and Bad of Social Media and the Fight for Racial Equity.” SCREENAGERS, SCREENAGERS, 16 June 2020, www.screenagersmovie.com/tech-talk-tuesdays/the-good-and-bad-of-social-media-and-the-fight-for-racial-equity.

Perrin, Andrew. “23% Of Users in U.S. Say Social Media Led Them to Change Views on an Issue; Some Cite Black Lives Matter.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 16 Oct. 2020, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/10/15/23-of-users-in-us-say-social-media-led-them-to-change-views-on-issue-some-cite-black-lives-matter/.

Peña, Christian. “How Social Media Is Helping Students of Color Speak out about Racism on Campus.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 8 Sept. 2020, www.pbs.org/newshour/education/how-social-media-is-helping-students-of-color-speak-out-about-racism-on-campus.

“Social Media Impact on Social Movements like Black Lives Matter.” Logic Design, 25 June 2020, www.logicdesign.co.uk/blog/social-media-black-lives-matter/.

Annotated Bibliography 

Delaney Ruston, MD. “The Good and Bad of Social Media and the Fight for Racial Equity.” SCREENAGERS, SCREENAGERS, 16 June 2020, www.screenagersmovie.com/tech-talk-tuesdays/the-good-and-bad-of-social-media-and-the-fight-for-racial-equity.

This website is really good because it shows negatives and positives of social media and racism. For example, one negative that social media has on racism 43% of people said that they’ve seen racist posts online.

Maqbool, Aleem. “Black Lives Matter: From Social Media Post to Global Movement.” BBC News, BBC, 9 July 2020, www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53273381.

“Social Media Impact on Social Movements like Black Lives Matter.” Logic Design, 25 June 2020, www.logicdesign.co.uk/blog/social-media-black-lives-matter/.

This website shows how something as small as a social media post or a hashtag can turn into a global movement.

Peña, Christian. “How Social Media Is Helping Students of Color Speak out about Racism on Campus.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 8 Sept. 2020, www.pbs.org/newshour/education/how-social-media-is-helping-students-of-color-speak-out-about-racism-on-campus.