November 5, 2020
With the groundbreaking election taking place across the pond, we are reminded to vote and to share with others the importance of voting through our social channels. Platforms are giving us factual information, and sometimes something creative to show support.
These sort of social media events have been going on for years now, but this one feels different. I have always found that the efforts put in by social media companies feel like a way to unite us together in a universal shared event. With the looming ‘Lockdown: The Sequel’’ coming into effect today, these efforts, to me, feel more impactful and remind me that we are all in this together, through thick and thin.
These efforts can be seen across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, with the latter having a sticker that can be implemented on stories, that again gives essential info on the election and the importance of your vote. With our worlds becoming smaller in lockdown, social media has been the way for many of us to connect with friends and family. Having these critical real-world events represented on our social feeds reminds me that the world is still spinning and no matter the distance, being political or geographical, social media can be used as a way to bring us together.
I believe that this stems from the ability to express yourself on social media freely, to show support in things and to show or even remind other the importance of your vote. These elements are what I believe to be the best thing about social media, details that I think make a difference in the way in which we interact with this ever-evolving world.
In a recent report, an internal poll at Facebook found that “51% of respondents said they believed that Facebook was having a positive impact on the world.” While I don’t necessarily agree that Facebook is a truly positive impact, the report does go on to say that this view is declining. It just goes to show that the unification of people is never a bad thing, especially in such crucial times like these.