Social Media Incitement, Essay Example

Introduction

Social media wave is a modern phenomenon that helps with the understanding of the complex behaviors of human society. Each person has their own attributes that could be defined by their social media profiles. Depending on the personality of an individual, they are inclined to having a social media following and community that commensurate with the way they view and relate with the rest of the world. This paper seeks to analyze incitement as a social media activity that is extremely annoying, posing a threat to peace and stability.

Social media definition

Social media refer to online platforms that allow users to connect with friends, families, and acquaintances in sharing their life experiences. Through these platforms, people engage through the creation of content and the sharing of ideas they feel should be addressed. And just like in normal human society, the social media community is comprised of people of different ideologies, some that are appealing while others do not conform to the norms of society.

Incitement

Incitement refers to the art of provoking unlawful or unwanted behavior among members of society. In the contemporary world, people have resorted to social media as the platform of choice to air their views, some of which do not conform to the standards and norms of society. The ethical use of social media is provided under the policy guidelines and terms of use, with most people choosing not to follow the set policy guidelines hence violating the terms of use out of naivety.

Social media incitement has seen the rise of political and community-based violence that has threatened the security and economy of countries. Reference is made to the recent black lives matter movement demonstrations that sparked a global scenario that led to not only in the loss of one life in addition to that of George Floyd but the loss of properties of unknown value in the name of demonstrations. Though the course was a noble one, some individuals went to social media inciting others to take the law into their own hands. Goons hid amidst peaceful demonstrators looting from shops instigating a situation of both political and social intolerance.

Cyberactivism, which mostly occurs on social media platforms, has also been prevalent in recent times. Activists taking to social media have time and again been in the spotlight over their remarks and posts that threaten peace and security. Fragile countries such as Iraq have, in recent times, experienced a wave of violence that escalated from social media activism. The Iraqi antiwar movement, for example, instigated a wave of demonstrations in hundreds of cities across the world. The inciting posts from the antiwar movement have been blamed for the violence that ensued though they have been quick to distance themselves from the unlawful acts of the demonstrators. However, it is clear that they misused their freedom of expression on social media inciting violent demonstrations that could have been avoided.

In conclusion, social media platforms are a strong tool and bring together people of the same and differing ideologies. The ethical use of social media is a personal responsibility, and it is the high time people realized that the same technology has the power to make or break the human society. Lessons from the black lives matter movement should be put into consideration before posting or commenting in a manner that threatens peace and security.