Still Fervently Engaging (Challenge 5.3)
This week was the final installment of engaging into social media for our social issues and topics. I tried something a little different with my engaging. Communicating via tweets and Instagram comments on strangers’ photos can sometimes feel like shouting into the void that the Internet can be, so I posted a status on Facebook that explained the situation and asked for my friends on Facebook for their input about LGBT rights and representation.
Although, the idea of the void did not stop me from tweeting YA author John Green for his opinion on the subject. John Green, aside from being an author I admire, keeps a presence on social media via YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook, and I’m sure through other medias. He tries to be very up to date with social issues, so if I were to get his input on representation, that would have been interesting to hear (I did not receive any response from Mr. Green, but I’m sure he’s a busy man).
While everyone I connect to on Facebook are labeled by the website as my “friends,” in truth, many of them are simply acquaintances. A lot of the people I connect to on Facebook are people I knew at some point in my life; they remain my Facebook friends for the convenience of staying in touch. I knew that opening the question of the adequacy of LGBT representation in media to my connections on Facebook would allow people I don’t talk to to say their opinion. Instead of shouting into a void, I felt like I was shouting more into a megaphone directing my words at a room of people who are in no obligation to respond to me but, because they know me personally, may feel comfortable enough to respond, despite the frequency of our conversations. And, luckily, I was right! I publicly was given many “likes” on my Facebook status, which lets me know that people are reading it and are probably interested in LGBT representation as well (this is the type of interaction I would receive on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram, as well: “likes” and “favorites”). Some people, a couple that I talk to presently and one that I don’t really talk to any more, messaged me privately and we discussed some of the topics surrounding LGBT representation.
Interestingly, I found that my Facebook contacts yielded similar opinions to the posts that I found way back when I was lurking social media. I’m glad that my engaging helped to find this much insight on the topic. I think it shows that the entire generation is on the same page of LGBT representation: there’s not enough of it, and it’s important to have it accurately portrayed for future generations.
On the topic of general representation (and not just LGBT representation), I got to speak with some friends about how children of color or of minority (whether it is sexuality, gender, race, etc.) will not be able to imagine themselves as something until they see it for themselves. This brought to mind the two little girls who dressed up as Zendaya and as Lupita Nyong’o in their dresses they wore to the Oscars. It was more than just seeing people who looked like them at the Oscars, though (below is a picture comparing the little girl and Zendaya; I couldn’t find the exact picture for Lupita and the girl). Zendaya stood up for herself and her heritage when her look with locs was criticized, and Lupita spoke about the importance of following their dreams: “may it remind me and every little child that no matter where you’re from, your dreams are valid.” I believe that that’s why I’m so drawn to research LGBT representation; it’s important for children of all shakes of life to feel like they are valid and that they exist, that they’re represented.
