As members of a modern society, we have an obligation to share our knowledge with others. The tricky thing about this is, how do we know if the information we are sharing is accurate, or if we were just persuaded to think that way.
This is the confusion of a cell phone. Littered with half-facts and fake news, we can persuade others into also not knowing all the necessary information. The cell phone is a daily tool that affects every aspect of how you live. This one tool has the remarkable ability to save, change, and take away your life.
It all depends on how you use it.
As I was mindlessly skipping through Instagram stories, I stopped at a screenshot of a Revolve sweatshirt that a celebrity had posted. You may have in mind what particular sweatshirt I am referring to, as the backlash surrounding it has recently made headlines. Posted on Revolve's website, a photo of a sample size model posing in a sweatshirt that read "Being Fat Is Not Beautiful It's An Excuse," stared back at me. I was furious.
In a day where body positivity and female empowerment are so eminent in our society, how could a major fashion brand dare to create this?? I needed answers.
Skipping over in my apps, I opened Twitter and searched "Revolve," guessing that others would share my anger and confusion. I was right. Thousands of Twitter users had posted about their disgust and taken away their support of the brand.
Looking deeper into the story behind the sweatshirt, I learned Revolve had released a statement, claiming "The prematurely released images featured on Revolve.com was not only included without the context of the overall campaign but regrettably featured one of the pieces on a model whose size was not reflective of the piece's commentary on body positivity.
We at Revolve sincerely apologize to all those involved – particularly Lena, Emily, Cara, Suki and Paloma – our loyal customers, and the community as a whole for this error."
Revolve had begun to explain how this image was a mistake and belonged to a much bigger campaign striving to end cyber-bullying.
This recent story of a sweatshirt gone wrong is a prime example of how social media is affecting our lives daily. I was at first persuaded to believe that Revolve had meant to post that sweatshirt on their website with the intent to sell as is. I was then persuaded to agree with the Twitter users and decided to not shop at Revolve anymore.
Finally, I found the company's statement and was able to decide my final opinion on the subject. It is up to every individual to analyze the facts and decide what to and what not to believe.
For this particular case, social media users were split between understanding the mistake Revolve had made and being disgusted that this sweatshirt ever would have been created in the first place.
Overall, they made their choice based on how the facts looked to themselves.
It occurs countless times a day: we do not know all the facts, yet we draw conclusions based on what is put in front of us. We suffocate in information that is being fed to us, only taking breaks to breathe when we put down our phones.
This type of information frenzy is intoxicating. We can be overwhelmed but also feel in control. We can be confused by the truth but also trust that our opinion is right. We are addicted to the knowledge our cell phones feed us.
Whether it's texting a friend about the latest gossip, googling your latest symptom, getting an update on the weather or scrolling through twitter and laughing at the latest meme, we all crave the information that stares back at us in our phones.
None of us can escape the feeling of wanting to be in the know, or wanting to share our newly discovered information with others.
Nobody is immune to persuasion.
All day, every day, for the rest of our lives we will listen, judge, and form an opinion on every fact that we are told. We spend hours every day staring into our phone screens, absorbing endless amounts of information.
Every day, we are exposed to over five thousands brands, articles, photos, and so much more. Analyzing and forming opinions on what we are told is a daily task that many subconsciously struggle with.
