Accountability In The Expose Era
By: Emerald Barnes
Tags: Positive Thinking, Celebrity Gossip, Mental Health, Social Media, Personal Growth

Photo by fauxels from Pexels

I don’t think I stand alone in my opinion when I say that this year has been the most important yet exhausting year of our lifetime. Between natural disasters, a pandemic, quarantine, and the rise of cancel culture, I would like to aggressively package this year up and kick it into deep space. From the moment the clock struck midnight and the year 2020 clocked in she has been the super villain we never saw coming. A mix of vindictive, psychotic, and dismissive. The type of year that if it had a face, would be seductively punchable!

However, today I would like to focus on the internet.

This invention has been a blessing but it has also become a breeding ground for people seeking fault and playing the role of judge and jury. By now I’m sure we’re all familiar with cancel culture. A way of “cleaning the house” removing toxic individuals from the internet, shaming them for their transgressions. To be completely transparent, initially I thought this was beneficial. Social media has the power to make anyone famous but sometimes bad apples slip through the cracks and ruin an entire generation of impressionable viewers. For example, Vine’s infestation of YouTube, initially we didn’t mind and then boom scripted reality and poorly written rap beefs. But I digress.

My main gripe with cancel culture is that it leaves no room for human error, growth, or comedy unless of course you’re super popular. There are no guidelines or criteria for canceling someone. In fact, it seems that if enough people don’t like you they’ll twist everything you say, analyze your body movements and spend valuable time combing through every interview, Instagram post, and MySpace archive until they find something to rip the rug from beneath your feet. It’s a modern day witch hunt birthed from good intentions that just took a bad turn.

The Insatiable Thirst For CelebriTEA

A terrible pun but humor me.

It’s not difficult to understand why people are enamored by the lives of the rich and famous. Many of them experience things that the majority of us will not see in our lifetime. However, this interest has in later years turned predatory and vicious. Just this year we’ve seen multiple entertainers such as; Megan Thee Stallion, Beyoncé, Doja Cat, and Lil Baby dragged up, down and around the internet streets. Why? Let’s examine two reasons and what we can do to stop this train-wreck.

Celebrity worship syndrome has been described as an obsessive-addictive disorder where an individual becomes overly involved and interested (i.e., completely obsessed) with the details of the personal life of a celebrity. — [Psychology Today]

I must admit I have been the individual excited to see news about everything my favorite entertainers were doing while growing up isolated. I realized as I matured that this need to know about the people we admire is nothing more than escapism. If your life is on track are you concerned about what the next person is doing? Are you pausing your day to see which celebrities are beefing or how many times JLO is going to remind us she wore that iconic dress? No. Instead, you’re going to be focused on maintaining your peace and securing your future.

In fact, if you had to switch places with any entertainer right now but it would involve you being forced to see strangers pick apart your life, manipulate your emotions for a few likes, or attack the people you care about, would you accept? Would you be able to have your last tweets sent to you repeatedly? Could you handle it?

If you’re like me, the answer is no and yes. No, because I have no interest in fame or fortune. I only crave peace and the beauty of creation. But, I try to tweet positivity and encouragement and support for my favorite creatives. While sharing my favorite music!

Please ask yourself why you find delight in attempting to hurt others? I don’t say this from a place of judgment but rather understanding because I know firsthand that being overly judgmental and sarcastic is often a mask for the frustration and pain you’re feeling in your personal life. The reward for having the spiciest tweet is an addictive drug for someone who feels virtually invisible offline. But we can’t be vocal about mental health and exposing toxicity while benefiting from the same behavior.

The Instant Gratification

These platforms reward “engagement” by highlighting highly liked posts more prominently in newsfeeds, customizing social media users to attempting to post that sensationalized content themselves.- entrepreneur.com

If we want a different social media world that is filled with positivity and constructive criticism and opinions then we have to highlight those post more. Not flock towards the drama and spread it for likes and attention. In my humble opinion gossip blogs and television shows are not beneficial for anyone including the consumer. What you feed your mind is what you become. Social media is a great opportunity to excel in life when used correctly but if your success is built on adding chaos to a stranger’s life, that’s toxic and isn’t healthy.

We’re all stuck at home filled with anxiety about the future and how we’ll survive. However, fixating on the lives of others isn’t the answer. Let’s normalize not liking someone without having to rush online to tear someone down. Let’s bring back listening to varying opinions and get away from our echo chamber. Social media and cancel culture is not a problem when directed by a genuine love to change the direction of a troubled society. We just have to learn when it’s necessary to speak and when it would best serve everyone to simply mind our business.