Social media is a big part of a lot of people’s lives. There are so many things that social media is good for: communicating, sharing, raising awareness, keeping in touch with family and friends and so on. However, there are a lot of things that can go wrong with social media. Hashtags are a big part of Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and there are good hashtags and bad hashtags. The idea of hashtags is pretty cool — even though I’ve only clicked on them once or twice — but here are some hashtags that have completely appalled me.
1. #GrowingUpWithStrictParents
Strict parents aren’t the worst thing to happen and neither are parents who aren’t as strict. Personally, my parents were on the strict side compared to all of my friends. I always had to tell my parents where I was going and who I was going with. It seemed like such a hassle when I was younger, but now that I’m older, I have a new appreciation for what they did and said. They just wanted to keep me safe. Yes, I had a curfew, and yes, I had to go through an interrogation every time I wanted to do something, but this just shows how much my parents cared for me. It was always hard to have a curfew when none of my friends did, and I realize my younger sister is now going through the same thing, but she will learn that all they do is because they love us.
2. #DontJudgeChallenge
“Don’t judge a book by its cover,” is how this hashtag started out, which is how it should have stayed. It began as a way to celebrate individuality and beauty of all types. People would wear makeup in one picture posted side-by-side with a picture without makeup. This is something that was worth the hashtag and really boosted people’s confidence. That is, until people decided to show just how attractive they are. They used what society believes to be unattractive (i.e missing teeth, unibrows, acne, etc.) and in the next shot, they are showing how attractive they really are. This wasn't about not judging a book by its cover anymore; it ws about showing off and that’s not right. It’s making other people feel like crap because they have those features and are probably very insecure about them.
3. #itaintrape
Victim-blaming is still present and there are still people out there that believe rape victims are “asking for it” or are “playing games.” One tweet stated “#itaintrape if you buy her the drinks she got drunk on.” The only way it's not rape is if both partners are sober, willing and consensual adults. There are people out there that believe they can do whatever they want because they have the power to do so or because someone was looking at them a certain way. Whatever you wear, wherever you go, yes means yes and no means no. A person has the right to change their mind, to say no and to wear what they want without the fear of getting raped.
4. #jadapose
Last summer, a teen girl named Jada was raped in Texas. Pictures of her on the floor afterward surfaced on the Internet, and there are people out there on social media that have replicated the position of her body in the photos and proceeded to make fun of her. These horrific pictures have caused her to step out and take a stand. I’m glad that she has decided to step up and get justice for what happened to her. This is an example of where social media can be used for good out of evil.
The point of hashtags on social media is to help connect people from all over the place. The point of hashtags is not to degrade others, to bash on family, to victim-blame or make fun of those who are victims of rape. These hashtags have shown that these are what people are doing on social media. It’s not something that should happen. Social media is a place where we should be communicating with others and lifting each other up. These are only a few hashtags that should not even be hashtags in the first place.
