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Portrayal of Race on Social Media Platforms
Portrayal of Race on Social Media Platforms
In various social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, individuals have witnessed hash-tags [such as #Blacklivesmatter] and connotations in support of particular racial groups. Americans depend on these technological advancements to acquire information about the political, social and economic scenes in their society. Of late, the issue(s) of race and inequality has been significantly debated in these platforms with subtle instances of discrimination (Benson & Morgan, 2014). People of color in the U.S. are categorized as minorities but, the situation can be rectified by looking into the importance of a diversified society, and encouraging equality.
First of all, driving these social media users to create a hash-tag about the lives of black people is a salient indication of the deteriorated American society. White individuals have segregated these blacks to the extent of the latter seeking ‘refuge’ online. In fact, numerous videos circulate on Facebook and Twitter depicting police brutality toward young black men. White men that are found in a similar predicament(s) are not manhandled or treated brutally by these policemen just because of their racial affiliation. The idea(s) that only black men are supposed to be mistreated by the police inevitably augurs cyber bullying toward people of color. The susceptibility of adolescents to the utilization of these platforms, however, places them at more risk.

Nevertheless, I have specific solutions to these portrayals of racial discrimination on social media platforms. I would recommend these adolescents to employ the resolution of reporting all racially-affiliated posts that are present in the platforms. Facebook, for instance, is quite thorough in handling these issues of cyber-bullying (Benson & Morgan, 2014). If at all the users resort to pulling down those racial posts in such a manner; there will be no room for such discrimination. Facebook has administrators that will investigate the reported content and decide its alignment [or lack thereof] with community standards. Twitter suspends all accounts that violate its terms and conditions. The online users have to report any post(s) that fuel racial content as a way of assisting the process.
Racial discrimination on social media may also be eradicated through awareness and education on diversity. For instance; when Americans are taught the ways of appreciating different cultures, they are bound to grow and develop in the same. African-Americans are categorized as one of the most hardworking races hence; they bring about economic growth in the U.S. There is an agreement with the idea(s) that ignorance plays a significant role in racial segregation. When an individual does not understand the culture of another person, it becomes much easier for them to post degrading racial content online. Sensitivity and awareness should be in-line with the education offered apropos of racial and ethnic diversity.
Importantly, individuals would be advised to create groups on these social media platforms to facilitate conversation about racial discrimination. For instance; Facebook has the option of creating public, closed or secret groups to have such discussions. There are Facebook groups such as “Say No to Racism, Reporting Racist Groups Online,” “United Against Racism” and “Christians Against Racism” that delve into the space(s) of racial segregation and attempt to wipe its prevalence in various societies. These groups are regulated by the administrators, and each member’s post has to be approved before appearing on the platform. Evidently, the groups work as space(s) for having these conversations while impeding the prevalence of discriminatory posts, as well. Subscription to these Facebook groups may also assist individuals that have undergone cyber-racism. There are definite [and encouraging] messages in these groups that would instantly ‘fix’ the damages caused by online racism.
Encouragement of equality through the promotion of diversity plays a significant role in controlling cyber-racism, and online racial spews. Before embarking on solutions to online racism; it is essential to first deal with this predicament in the real world. When individuals are aware of the repercussions of racism, they will naturally restrain themselves from projecting such behavior(s) on social media platforms (Benson & Morgan, 2014). Nations should also embark on voting for candidates that strive to end racial discrimination and segregation. The U.S., for instance, has President Donald Trump who is racist and does not support the immigrants in America. He is particularly against Mexicans residing in the U.S. and places the Americans before them. It would be necessary, for instance, to have candidates who are African-American or Hispanic to represent the minorities in these societies. Having a candidate of color makes it much better for the black people to be represented, accordingly. Again, a call to action would involve employing affirmative racial policies in the workplace. Employers are supposed to ensure that the diversified workforce is well-versed with one another’s cultures [and traditions]. Instilling such systems in the workplace makes it easier for these individuals to adopt non-racial ideologies and not succumb to cyber-racism. It is evident that the call to action works to the advantage of these racial policies as it impedes any form(s) of racism in social media platforms.
People of color cannot thrive safely either in real life or online. They have undergone segregation, brutality and hate merely because of their place(s) of origin. It is unfair and unfortunate that these individuals constantly exist in fear because of uncontrollable aspects of their lives. White people should educate themselves about diversity and understand that black people are still human beings, regardless. The ‘subtle’ cases of racism in certain parts of the U.S. should be denounced particularly because slavery [and captivation] of black people was abolished years ago.
References
Benson, V., & Morgan, S. J. (2014). Cutting-edge technologies and social media use in higher education. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference, an imprint of IGI Global.