'We media' and democracy- Georgie Brough

‘We media’ and democracy.

Over the summer holidays I kept my eyes open for news that would appear on social media, TV and magazines. In my everyday life reading the newspaper and having a cup of tea, or sitting and eating breakfast whilst catching up on the news in a morning just does not happen. I find myself constantly on the move and end up using different media platforms to access the news and catch up on what is going on around me, whilst I’m on my way to school or on my break at work. I would not usually go looking for news but would just stumble upon without even realizing.

Over this period of time I discovered that some news stories are in some ways forced upon you when you log in to Facebook or refresh your twitter timeline. However I find it really interesting how media 3.0 makes the news stories that appear tailored to your liking and interest. The way different forums or organisations can present data and stories to online users all over the world fascinates me. It allows people everywhere to become more engaged within the news and also sets them up with a platform to voice their own opinions and share what they have witnessed first-hand. It provokes many ideas about how democratic or anti-democratic big media has become and explores the opportunities that are given to the ‘former audience’, actually allowing them to create their own content. In some ways this can help prevent a brainwashing effect on entire nations, for example news channels such as BBC news and ITV news have a job to represent as a whole, sometimes the stories lead to a preferred conclusion but many times it is left open to interpretation. However newspapers such as the independent, the sun etc etc, use their platform to attract attention in order to make a profit from the stories. What we hear in the newspaper is not always factual, it is manipulated to create ideals and representations as a way of brainwashing or provoking responses from the public. Therefore the constantly evolving forum for the former audience is creating a tool to open the minds of the public and create a less anti-democratic, profit driven and judgmental world. We are starting to live in an age of greater democracy where ‘everyone and anyone can participate and contribute.’

The first news story that sprung to mind was the migrant crisis in Calais. This story was pretty much on every forum I looked at over the summer. It headlined papers, it was major stories on the large news organisations like the BBC and radio news. The many stories I read were very emotive to me. The stories were calling all these helpless and desperate people migrants, now in terms of geographical terminology a migrant is a person who moves countries to live. Now what I found really quite upsetting within these stories was the fact that all this desperation that I was seeing on videos and reports was being completely disregarded. The majority of these people have nothing. They are refugees. They are asylum seekers. Some are completely alone with no family left because of war, terror and lack of resources available to them. They are NOT people seeking more sunshine or a more exotic, different lifestyle. They are seeking safety, stability, food, shelter, everything that every single person on this planet is entitled too. It absolutely disgusted me the way in which some media organisations were treating these people. Dehumanizing them. These people fleeing from terror, war, instability, torture, were being completely disregarded due to the supposed “major issue” of lack or resources, space, jobs, money whatever reason our government have given in order to prevent these people from being safe and secure and happy. The fact that most of the story on this topic was “its causing great delays on the tunnel.” I’m sorry did I actually just read that, how very inconvenient for this people to be delayed whilst these dehumanized people are homeless and suffering from exhaustion and mental health issues they must be suffering with because of some of the terror they have had to witness in their life. It baffles me to think how narrow minded and selfish people are that their response to this topic is “they are coming to take our jobs”, “they just want to make a better life for themselves”. Are people not allowed to want to make a better life for themselves and their family? Because I know for a fact that that is all schools, parents, organisations strive for, for bettering themselves, their businesses and their lives. So why have people taken it upon themselves to degrade and dehumanize these refugees and asylum seekers and even people moving from this incredibly unstable countries full of terrors that very few people in this country could even begin to understand or imagine. Thankfully, I came across a post on Facebook that brought back my sanity and faith in humans. I saw that two women from London decided that they were going to go to Calais and speak with these refugees and migrants, I thought I would share this on this post because it is something that is very important to me. Here is a snippet of the story shared around Facebook for millions to read. The post was from a lady called Jaz O’hara and the stories she told really spread the message loud and clear.

“An hours drive from my house, then half an hour on the Eurotunnel, and we were in the world’s worst refugee camp in terms of resources and conditions, yet we were welcomed with open arms. It’s amazing how only the people who have nothing really know how to share. The ‘jungle’ (as the camp is known), is loosely and naturally divided by country, with every one of the worlds warzones represented. We walked through ‘Afghanistan’, ‘Syria,’ ‘Eritrea’ and ‘Sudan,’ all living peacefully alongside each other. This struck a chord with me – it was immediately clear that these people, fleeing war and persecution, want anything but conflict. The ‘mosque’ (a wooden frame), next to the church (some wood and tarpaulin, crowned with a wooden cross), right next to each other, representing that we are all the same, regardless of religion or race. Nothing could have prepared me for hearing the stories of these people first hand. A man from Afghanistan told me how he had fled his country with over 100 other people with the aim of walking together to England. Many people (mainly women and children) died along the way. They were so hungry they ate grass, and one night, walking through Bulgarian woodland in the dark, he tripped and a stick pierced through his eye. He spent 2 weeks in hospital in Sofia and the group left him behind. He carried on alone and had finally made it to Calais. Then we met three Eritrean brothers aged 14, 13 and 10. They were alone. Sent by their parents to escape conscription to compulsory, indefinite military service, which is basically slave labour, they had made their way from Eritrea on foot. And then, a 23-year-old from Dafur, Sudan. He told me that the Gangaweed had come to his village on horseback when he was 18, burnt it to the ground and brutally shot many people, including his dad, just for being black. He was arrested, accused of opposing the government, and put in prison for two years. As soon as he got out, he went back to where the village once was, desperate to find his two little brothers, little sister and mother. He was told his sister was alive and in a nearby town so he went looking for her. She wasn’t there. He searched towns and cities until he was again arrested, as travelling through the country is not permitted. Unable to face any more time in prison, he spent all the money he had to be smuggled to Libya. Here he started his journey, on foot and alone to England.”

   

Another story I came across was the argument that occurred between Nicki Minaj and Miley Cyrus. I came across this story when just flicking through my twitter. It really drew my attention due to the deeper subject matter that was actually being represented through this altercation. Minaj was accused by Miley Cyrus of being prejudice towards white skinny girls. No. I target shared this news story because it is something I believe in very strongly. It raised issues of how celebrities were represented in the media and how they presented each other. Miley was accusing Nicki of making body issues and body positivity about race which I thought was an unbelievable statement to make. Nicki minaj, even though this might not seem obvious to everybody, represents a strong and powerful young woman. She uses all her influence in the media to inspire and motivate young girls to be confident and a boss. This is so important to me and is such a relevant topic in today's society and democracy. I think in this particular story female empowerment is such a relevant ideal in relation to the statements made about race. Whatever race, whatever sexuality, whatever gender everyone deserves to feel empowered and strong and proud. Insinuating that someone is basically racist because they are representing their life and their struggles and their culture is just something that i find absolutely ridiculous. Gender empowerment is not about tearing other people down to make women the more dominant sex. Its about making us equal. Equally powerful as men. Equally respected. Equally treated. Miley Cyrus tearing Nicki down for her Anaconda video is her way of beating others down because of their body shape and size. I think, that however crude the anaconda video might appear to some people, it is a great forum for representing women of every ethnicity, shape and size. It is a way of breaking through the industry. Not only is it a way of pushing for the equality between male and female but it is pushing for the equality between females. Every woman is beautiful and strong no matter what race, body shape and they should certainly not be degraded because they do not fit in to some society's idea of "perfect". Body positivity should be promoted through out all races, genders, sexuality and size. No one should be made to feel that they are not beautiful in their own skin. This is why democracy now is so crucial to our society, media and our lives. Stereotypes and categorizing need to end and equality needs to progress even further because their is quite clearly still a way to go.