Written by Chamberlain Zulauf
Asian American hate was undeniably real on March 16th with the targeted massacre of 8 people (mostly of Asian American descent) at two locations 30 miles apart.
Above is information that I learned from Instagram stories before anywhere else. Of course, I knew racism in America is nothing new, but I wasn’t fully aware of the actual scale of Asian Xenophobia until I started to see reposts on Instagram. Where else would I have found out? Newspapers? I don’t know a single person my age that watches the news on TV. Instagram stories are a new way for America’s youth to become informed citizens.
Some people will say “wHaT Is POsTiNg oN SocIAl mEdiA Do oTheR tHan STroKe yOur EGo”. I think these people are missing the point entirely. I figure that Instagram posts must be vital to the awareness of millions of teens and young adults.
An argument could be made that reposting is a new form of journalism where the product is specifically made with mass communication and users in mind. The users who see these posts also play a more advanced role as the spread of the information depends on their reposting. This variation of the one-way author to reader relationship makes Instagram stories a staple of youth advocacy and shows the beginning of a collaborative American population which fights against injustice.
