TikTok, Instagram, Twitter and more. Almost everyone has those apps downloaded on their phone and they are filled with news, rumors and – most importantly – opinions. We base our opinions not only on the news we consume, but also on the social media content we see. We usually are influenced by other people’s opinions. Especially, if the majority shares the same opinion, we tend to agree without questioning it or doing more research on the topic. We let curiosity and the excitement over good gossip cloud what is the actual truth and reality. And that’s on us.
Furthermore, the algorithm shows us articles and opinions that usually align with previously consumed content and with our views. The question is though: is it really our opinion or do we just go along with the masses so we don’t stand out in a negative way? Does our perspective align with whatever tabloids or people on the internet we barely know are rolling with? If we are being honest, we sometimes just can’t help it.
However, not sharing the same opinion as the majority and stating a different one comes with a risk. Anyone with a different standpoint may have to deal with cyberbullying which results in people rather not stating their unpopular opinions at all. They are too afraid to justify their point of view as they may receive even more backlash. Although we live in times where everyone agrees that free speech is important, this situation leads to only one “correct” opinion being stated and everyone just blindly following it. So a lot of people don’t even try to form their own.
Let’s talk about one of the most recent incidents in pop culture. Singer, songwriter and actress Ariana Grande had to deal with comments about her appearance for the past decade. Society kept calling her “too thin” and compared her to an older version of her body, which we now know was an unhealthy one. People were permanently sharing, rather pushing their opinions on her to a point where she “had to” make a statement. She is stating that she firstly – and most importantly – was healthy and secondly, that society should stop sharing their opinions on other people’s bodies.
Other celebrities such as Selena Gomez, Lizzo and Bella Hadid showed their support for the singer-songwriter. After the video went viral on several platforms, the general opinion changed. It’s interesting, isn’t it? People stopped criticizing her appearance, started hashtags and filled comment sections with words about body positivity. Users who continued commenting on Grande’s appearance negatively faced backlash by others, even if they probably would have agreed three days prior.
And while we do consume news mostly through social media these days which, depending on where we look, can affect our judgment negatively, mainstream media is not necessarily a more truthful source. We live in a world now, where one extremely criticizing TikTok can blow up and cause a wave of fake news, bold opinions that are justified as “freedom of speech” and it can deconstruct someone’s character and destroy their public image completely. News travels faster through social media nowadays and as great as it can be when it’s amplifying great voices, heroism or anything positive, it can also cause a lot of damage and false narratives.
This shows that we need to do our own research, form our own opinions rather than just follow the general point of view. Nothing good comes out of that and while everyone seems to wanna be in other people’s business, how would you feel if everyone was minding yours publicly without having power over the outcome of it?
ROARA Magazine 