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NilePierreFirstEssay 4 - 15 Jan 2025 - Main.NilePierre
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The Internet and Diddy's Downfall (final draft) | | | Shifting Power Dynamics | |
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< | Social media platforms give ordinary people - especially women, people of color, and other marginalized communities- a way to critique powerful figures and demand. While cancel culture can lead to transparency and public critique of bad actors, there is often a lack of followthrough. Looking at Donald Trump, who was just elected President despite being held liable for sexual abuse and faced a plethora of online critism for his sexual misconduct, cancel culture only served as a superficial layer of justice. | >
> | Social media platforms give ordinary people - especially women, people of color, and other marginalized communities- a way to critique powerful figures. While cancel culture can lead to transparency and public critique of bad actors, there is often a lack of followthrough. Looking at Donald Trump, who was just elected President despite being held liable for sexual abuse and faced a plethora of online criticism for his sexual misconduct, cancel culture only served as a superficial layer of justice. | | | In Diddy’s case, social media has amplified the voices of those most likely to be ignored by the traditional legal system. Many of his alleged victims are women of color, who have historically been underserved by institutions. Yet, the effectiveness of this online outcry is questionable when one considers how little has changed for other powerful figures who have faced similar allegations. Despite online backlash, some of the most powerful individuals accused of sexual crimes - Epstein, Trump, Polanski - either avoided legal repercussions or had delayed consequences after having lengthy careers filled with abusive behavior. While public opinion may shift due to social media, actual accountability is questionable.
Parasocial Monitoring and Data Collection | |
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< | Social media has also intensified what we might call "parasocial monitoring," where fans follow celebrities’ lives as if they are part of them. The window into celebrities’ lives provided by social media is often curated to create a specific public image, reinforcing an illusion of intimacy. Parasocial relationships play a significant role in cancel culture, encouraging people to scrutinize every action of public figures like Diddy or even those loosely connected to him. Recently, celebrities like Steph Curry, Yung Miami, and Lebron James have unfollowed Diddy on instagram following his criminal charges, perhaps to publically distance themselves and avoid online ridicule. | >
> | Social media has also intensified what we might call "parasocial monitoring," where fans follow celebrities’ lives as if they are part of them. The window into celebrities’ lives provided by social media is often curated to create a specific public image, reinforcing an illusion of intimacy. Parasocial relationships play a significant role in cancel culture, encouraging people to scrutinize every action of public figures like Diddy or even those loosely connected to him. Recently, celebrities like Steph Curry, Yung Miami, and Lebron James have unfollowed Diddy on instagram following his criminal charges, perhaps to publicly distance themselves and avoid online ridicule. | | | But there’s another layer: while we observe celebrities, we’re also being observed. Every click, share, and follow contributes to data on our online behavior and drives more engagement. In a way, the biggest social media platforms and websites rely on our parasocial monitoring and sensationalize celebrity scandals to draw in users. Just as social media has empowered public voices, it has also commodified our engagement, exploiting serious issues for clicks. What once was a source of empowerment is transformed into a profitable cycle of engagement. |
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