This may be a time when hitting the keyboard to spout our opinions can do more harm than good. Photo: Yuliia Bukovska.
With the number of major national and international issues in the headlines these past months, it’s fertile ground for the social media keyboard warriors to grow in number and ferocity. And while there is immense value in showing up online to support issues relevant and important to us, there is also value in knowing when it’s time to stay out of it and keep our opinions to ourselves.
As an opinion writer typing this, I’m well aware that the kettle may appear to be calling the pot black, but hear me out.
During the past several months, as the Voice referendum loomed, social media became an important space for advocates on both sides of the debate to say their piece, reach an audience and offer information to voters. Equally, social media was a core medium for showing up as an ally and promoting First Nations voices throughout a gruelling and emotional time for many.
For this particular issue, I could see the value in taking to social media to voice our opinions – even when I didn’t agree with everything being said, even when the underlying racism of some groups was amplified by social media algorithms.
On balance, I think engaging with relevant national issues that affect us is a key part of democratic political engagement.
But – and there is always a but – there equally does come a time when hitting the keyboard to spout our opinions can do more harm than good.
Over the past month, as we’ve witnessed the horrific violence against civilians in Israel and Palestine, I’ve felt increasingly uncomfortable watching the onslaught of public opinion unleashed online.
For an issue this complex, and with innocent people losing their lives as the result of atrocious acts committed by both sides, it seemed that basic humanity was pushed aside in the interest of making a point for many passionate members of the public who were often unable or unwilling to acknowledge nuance.
What I mean is, people who are neither Israeli nor Palestinian, who indeed may have no knowledge of the issue beyond what they have googled or imbibed over the years, jumped straight to making a political point immediately in the aftermath of massacres at the expense of acknowledging the immense pain of families and communities who had lost loved ones (and stand to lose many more).
As I watched the posts and stories roll in, I wondered what the purpose is of this kind of ‘activism’.
If you’re sharing your political stance on an international issue like this online, it’s either to raise awareness or to signal your own position. The former is important and valid, but with a situation this volatile, I don’t actually see the value of the latter.
It’s likely that the people who follow you online already know your position on the issue, and unless you’re sharing accounts from people on the ground, ways to contribute/donate or support civilians in need, or have a direct relationship to the countries involved, you may cause more harm than good.
The level of misinformation I’ve seen on social media from all corners, including incorrectly attributed images and accounts, antagonising statements and dehumanising political slogans, is alarming. And the reality is, if you’re posting about global issues like this at all, unless you are incredibly well-versed on the ins and outs of the issue at hand, it’s very easy to accidentally get things wrong.
Given the amount of suffering people are enduring right now, it feels both opportunistic and unnecessary to weigh in online. I know that my own approach to dealing with the wave of emotions and anxiety the conflict has sparked in me has been to watch and read accounts from people on the ground, to donate to humanitarian organisations seeking to get aid to people affected and to otherwise keep my opinions to myself.
There are times when the best way we can show our support online is by sitting back and listening and saving our opinions for when we can meaningfully discuss these issues in person, with people, in an accountable and respectful manner.
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