Louise O'Neill: On social media, your opinion is expected within minutes of a world event.
In January, an influencer called Molly Mae Hague gave an interview in which she said, “Beyoncé has the same 24 hours in the day that we do … I understand we all have different backgrounds and we’re all raised in different ways and we do have different financial situations, but I think if you want something enough you can achieve it”
A backlash followed, as people compared Hague’s reported seven figure deal as creative director for Pretty Little Thing with the £3.50 an hour that garment workers at the brand’s Leicester factories were being paid.
How could she say that their respective 24 hours were in anyway alike? Critics argued that Molly Hague’s #GirlBoss feminism wasn’t feminism at all, as she was ignoring the privileges her own upbringing had afforded her. To which I say…. and?
I watched the series of Love Island Molly Mae appeared on and she seemed to be a very sweet, affable woman. Her subsequent success has shown her to be a canny operator with good business sense but none of that makes her someone to whom I would turn for analysis on Britain’s class system.
As the writer and broadcaster Emma Dabiri said, we need to “stop demanding people talk about things they are completely unqualified to talk about. The world doesn’t need any more uninformed ‘opinion’; the cacophony of social media is already deafening.”
This is an issue with social media right now — you are expected to have a fully formed opinion within minutes of a world event and if you don’t share those opinions, you are considered at best, ignorant, and at worst, perfidious. In May of last year, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 256 Palestinians (including 66 children). It was a human rights atrocity and most right-minded people were appalled. I was about to post when I remembered something a good friend had told me. She’s Jewish and, in her view, criticism of Israel, no matter how justified, often veers into antisemitism as Zionism is conflated with Judaism.
I was wary of doing anything that might add to that. Instead, I decided to read as much as I could so I would be better informed and I donated to charities working to get aid and food to Palestinians.
I can’t imagine what pressure there is on influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers, many of whom have become famous because they have impeccable personal style or gorgeous interiors or can do a perfect cat’s eye liner. That’s not to say that such people can’t be interested in current affairs but going to them for commentary on the day’s pressing political issues rather than the actual experts seems misguided.
For the last two weeks, the world has watched in horror as the Russian invasion of Ukraine unfolded. My Instagram feed has morphed into an uneasy mix of photos of blood-spattered toddlers, and funny dog memes. Husband and wives weeping as they are separated at the Polish border, and then cocktails held aloft for a girls’ night out in Dublin. Some people are hesitant, saying they know it’s strange to promote their new book or short film or music single with “everything that is going on in the world”, others less so.
I’m not sure either approach is ‘correct’, if that’s a distinction that is even possible to make. Because while yes, there is an argument to be made that those with a large platform have a responsibility to shine their spotlight on important issues — we all have a responsibility to stay informed rather than turn away — it’s a mistake to imagine that a person’s Facebook account is the extent of their concern or consideration on any given topic.
Social media has been an important tool for activism — we wouldn’t have had #BlackLivesMatter without it, or #MeToo and #EverydaySexism. But when activism becomes something that we demand of people, especially those in the public eye, it is in danger of being performative. Sharing an Infographic is easy, it requires no real engagement or thought — I know this because I am guilty of falling into the same trap! — and it is unlikely to have any real impact.
What is more important is the actions we take. Read more and talk less. Donate money to reputable charities who are on the ground helping victims.
Write to your local TD, asking how they plan to facilitate the arrival of Ukrainian refugees here. Attend peaceful protests.
All of that is a hundred times more practical than harassing a random blogger about why he or she isn’t giving a pithy enough insight into this devastating war.
Putin’s People by Catherine Belton. A landmark piece of journalism charting Putin’s rise from KGB agent to Russian President. Belton writes like John Le Carré to detail the deals, the shadowy figures and the deceit that have marked Putin’s ascent, and the grim ramifications for anyone who stands in his way.
The Irish Emergency Alliance – made up of seven leading aid agencies - are on the ground in Ukraine and in bordering countries, bringing lifesaving aid to those in need. https://irishemergencyalliance.org/donate
