@complanie the phrase “ignorance is bliss” is just too true; i feel like this early developed awareness of social issues almost robs many marginalized people of their childhood and innocence. Trying to not be jaded but it’s so hard sometimes #fyp #socialcommentary #inequality #woke #woketok ♬ original sound – complanie
men do shrooms once and discover the same things 13 year old girls have discovered alone in their bedrooms
— 𖦹witchy𖦹 (@witchymommyphd) January 9, 2023
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The three defining elements of the posts I chose are their purpose, familiarity, and tone. The common purpose of these posts is to showcase how social awareness and education is displayed through social media. People will make posts that expose how uneducated or socially unaware they are and receive backlash or criticism on their thought processes. The familiarity aspect is common throughout the posts because we are used to people speaking their minds on topics in casual conversation and humor. The third Instagram post/tweet is a satirical piece referencing comments people make that ask questions that are answered in the post. The tone is similar because they are all approachable and there are people in the comments continuing the conversation. In the second two posts there is more humor but all three still have their approachable tone.
By consistently using formats like memes, tweets, and direct, one-take videos, creators have set informal standards for how social commentary can be given online. As Manovich suggests, the genre elements didn’t come randomly. They were developed by users interacting with digital tools, reposting work, and participating in trends.
For example, the third tweet featuring Mickey Madison can be a reference to the “bean soup” recipe discourse. A TikTok user shared a recipe for a bean soup using a variety of beans. After a user commented something along the lines of, “I don’t like beans, can we substitute them for something else?” The internet has been referring to comments like these as bean soup theory.
Since genre and culture relies on its participatory nature, it’s constantly shifting and not always accurate. Anyone can reframe a commentary and viral versions are the ones that will shape the genre, regardless if they’re informed takes or not. That’s the power and danger of digital social commentary: anyone can do it. Whether it’s accurate and informed will be up to the discretion of the user.
I love that you chose to tackle the relationship between an online presence and how emotional intelligence is being developed and expressed with these social media posts. I believe that this can also be tied into the idea that people have become used to informal communication. Combined with the copious amounts of sarcasm in today’s language, there seems to be a heavy emphasis on specifying or clarifying for oneself and that results in the lack of critical understanding and reading comprehension.
I like the three pieces of content you chose and also like the reason behind those posts. I do think a lot of times people expose themselves without even realizing it. Those memes do center around a lack of social awareness. I can tell you put a lot thought and effort into your post.