The Politics of Social Media

It would be hard for anyone to deny that Facebook has become an embedded part of Trinity College culture. Similar to our ongoing discussions on sex, alcohol and diversity, it is time for our college to talk about how we interact with Facebook.

This spring the College endured yet another tumultuous and tense season of student elections - one that for myself was defined by moments of online commentary, some positive but many deeply disappointing. As a community, we are working incredibly hard to define appropriate and accessible student life at this college. We need to ensure these efforts encompass the virtual world, and address how as a college we use and abuse Facebook.

For the purpose of this discussion I want to divide Facebook communication into three general categories: the dissemination of information, private communication and public discourse. The first two categories I argue are useful tools for increasing the accessibility of our leaders, while the latter arguably requires careful consideration and some level of communal restraint.

There is no repudiating the power of Facebook for activism, participation, and the dissemination of information. We are able to connect further with our community and with greater speed than ever before. Just today, I watched as the Quad Party event gained over 300 attendees in just over an hour. There is no faster way to spread a photoshopped picture of Tina’s head, on Connor’s body with Victoria’s legs, wearing Kaleem’s socks and Aditya’s glasses than through Facebook. It is an incredible tool that we must continue to use to the best of our ability to improve the active participation of our fellow students in the Trinity community.

However, when communication on Facebook moves from informative to divisive discourse, we risk creating dangerous barriers and fears for individuals looking to get involved in our community. If students are uncomfortable sharing and posting information, advice, or opinions on Facebook out of a growing fear of the impending vitriol of online comments they will receive, then we have already stifled conversation in our community—and are weaker because of it.

Reflecting on my four years of undergraduate education, I am immediately overwhelmed with positive social and educational experiences, most of which occurred outside of the walls of any classroom. But they all occurred within the “real” world. We have all read thought-altering arguments in textbooks, online articles or via Facebook links, but the experiences and discussions that have shaped my learning experience have occurred around the tables in Strachan, on the couches in the Buttery, and in countless other places on our campus. The Internet, and by extension social media, have become tools for me to gather information and develop initial perspectives, but it is through peer discussion that I have truly enjoyed the formative development and collaborative progression of my ideas and my perspectives.

Trinity College is filled with some of the brightest and most accomplished young leaders in Canada. As a community, let’s take advantage of each others’ knowledge and leadership. Let us refrain from reducing our fellow members of college to mere Facebook statements, prepared in haste and often emotionally charged. Conversational discourse requires a certain rhythmic and improvisational dynamic, often layered with an emotional and personal perspective but perpetually balanced by an individual's inflection, tone, and pace. This is an intricate dynamic that can never be effectively mimicked by a written post or comment on Facebook.

In conversation we can learn, empathize, and most importantly react to far more than just the words of our counterparts. In conversation, it is the sentiment and the intent of our fellow students that takes precedent—something often misinterpreted or forgotten in an online forum.

As I leave this College in the coming months, I will undoubtedly be overwhelmed with an incredible sense of nostalgia and compassion for the student community of which I am proud to call myself a member. I will reflect on those learning experiences I shared with some of my dearest friends and some of my most hardened political adversaries, knowing that they shaped who I am as an individual and how I see the world around me. I encourage Trinity students now and in the future to proceed with caution in the dangerously provocative world of Facebook and instead strive to maintain the benefits of intelligent, collaborative, and respectful public discourse within the Trinity community. After all these experiences reflect the fundamental concepts of leadership, excellence, and responsibility upon which our community was built.