LBB: Little Black Box
By Chase
On June 2nd, 2020, Instagram was flooded with a sea of black boxes. A quick scroll through your feed seemed like a never-ending black blur for 24 hours straight. Many individuals, corporations, politicians, and celebrities posted their bleak black squares in an attempt to enact social change for the black community. This movement was initially created by Jamila Thomas, senior director of marketing at Atlantic Records, and Brianna Agyemang, a former Atlantic Records employee. The intention of “Blackout Tuesday” was not, at the outset, affiliated with the Black Lives Matter movement, rather it was created to combat racial injustice within the music industry. Regardless of the intended hashtag: #TheShowMustBePaused, “Blackout Tuesday” was rebranded by BLM supporters. Many Instagram users who chose to post the black box were not even remotely aware of the origin of the initial movement.
Unfortunately, social media has turned into a platform for “social justice warriors” to “virtue signal”— but talk is cheap! Social media activism, coined as “clicktivism,” requires little to no effort or commitment. The entire process of posting the little black square on Instagram accompanied by a hashtag and the overused, black heart emoji, took little more than a minute out of most people’s day. Obviously, BLM supporters can “talk the talk,” but I have yet to see many of them “walk the walk.” Posting a black box and going on with your day does not create meaningful social change for the black community. Real change is not enacted through virtue signaling on Instagram— instead, activism is most powerful when people volunteer for their community. It might not be as glamorous as posting on Instagram, but change shouldn’t be glamorous— real change takes time, effort, and hard-work. As John Wooden once said: “The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.”
This now brings me to a phenomenon that has plagued social media for the past few years. More and more, there is a pressure among young Americans to not only support left-leaning political and social movements, but publicly post and support. A new form of social anxiety has started to emerge from these social media campaigns because many people who are not politically engaged are worried about the backlash they could face if they don’t post. This is a direct result of liberal social movements branding silence with complicity and therefore, violence. We’ve all heard the popular phrase thrown around by BLM “silence is violence,” but few actually take time to think about what the phrase implies. According to this mindset, if you aren’t posting publicly in support of something, you are automatically against it. This type of binary approach lends itself to not only dividing the country, but stoking the new-age radicalism increasingly present in Gen Z.
Frankly, social media is an outlet for many people to share their photos and memories with their followers. Some girls just want to share their bikini pics from a vacation to the Bahamas, not support leftist political philosophies. Instagram and Facebook were created as a means of sharing pictures and videos with family and friends, and many people want to keep their feed in line with that intended vision. There is much more at stake when posting political content. Something as simple as a tweet about a hot political topic could hinder you from getting a job. Private companies have the right not to hire employees if they believe the employee’s political posts may harm their company’s reputation or perceived values. With that in mind, many people, smartly, choose to avoid the risk and actively distance themselves from politics online.
Furthermore, political posts can create animosity between friends and family members, and many people don’t want to create drama or lose friends over their politics. While it is easy to say that differing opinions wouldn’t change your view of someone, in this political climate, the fear of “being canceled” is an all too conceivable reality. Some people are just unsure of what they believe or what movements they stand for. Can you blame them? The political landscape of 2020 evolves every day. Many people understand that posting an opinion should never be taken lightly. Therefore many avoid posting support for movements that they don’t feel comfortable or educated enough to take a stance on. There is nothing wrong with abstaining from posting political content if you are not informed enough to make a decision— truthfully, it is the smart thing to do. Anyways, in a world where politics have seemingly seeped into every crevice of American life, it’s refreshing to see users who don’t bombard their followers with their opinions.
It’s a choice to share and support political views on your social media platform— no one should be “canceled” for keeping their opinions to themselves, especially in an era of unprecedented division. Unfortunately, many little black squares were posted on June 2nd out of fear of backlash. Friends of mine have been called racist by their own followers because they didn’t post anything on “Blackout Tuesday.” The current culture of calling people out for not conforming to progressive movements is sadly reflective of the Left’s radicalism.
I am in no way saying that if you posted a black box that you are wrong. Those who genuinely believe in the cause and understand what BLM supports have every right to post what they believe in. After all, this is America, and exercising one’s freedom of speech and expression is always encouraged by our platform. But clearly, doing your homework and researching what a movement stands for is critical. You should never feel like you have to comply with another’s beliefs to fit in. While I recognize that the current political environment makes it ever so difficult to stand up for your beliefs, we encourage you not to give in to peer pressure and stand firm in your values. You have every right to share your ideas, but inversely, don’t blame others for wanting to keep their political opinions to themselves. Freedom of speech is a two-way street.
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