My name is Shaan Lail, I am eighteen years old and an undergraduate studying Arts at the University Of British Columbia under the Combined Arts Program’s Global Citizens stream. I was born with a neuro muscular disorder known as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a disease that slowly causes deterioration of motor functions every single muscle) over time so I use a wheelchair for mobility and require assistance to carry out everyday physical tasks. Because of my physical impairments, my view on the world is different compared to the perspective of able bodied individuals, who take many things I struggle with for granted. I plan on utilizing this blog to express and explain my views on various topics and issues along the lines of life narratives which is in the context of the Arts Studies course.
I would like to analyze the sociological thinking behind life narratives. Specifically, I would like to explore why what we see about life narratives in various forms of media can alter our perspective. This question has compelled me ever since I became an avid YouTube watcher. As events worldwide have unfolded many individuals get their first hand glimpses from YouTube and other social media. Since it’s founding, more and more individuals use YouTube’s platform to express their own narratives and perception of world events and issues. These perspectives are often different than those provided on mass media or news networks which allows greater understanding. Among videos I have seen on YouTube, I have been intrigued by how different people speak about the issue of race which currently, is a very dominant issue. How people react in these videos can drastically shape people’s perspectives such as when exactly two years ago (September 17, 2013) I watched a video regarding how numerous individuals all around the United States were angry that Nina Davuluri a woman of East Indian descent won the highly controversial Miss America Beauty Pageant. Prominent “YouTuber” Jasmeet Singh or “JusReign” created his own opinion on the topic. Although the context of the video was somewhat comical, he brought up several major points about how there is no ideal person or demographic that fits in everyday society now, we are all human. Maybe society has not yet stepped into a “post racial” society. When Barack Obama was sworn into office, it was regarded as the transition into a “post racial” era but time and time again, we have seen that maybe this is not the case.
Video Source:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqdLuoXiyC4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqdLuoXiyC4
Hey Shaan, with websites such as YouTube, Twitter, WikiLeaks, Reddit, etc… becoming popular places where people all over the world can access and exercise free speech and personal opinions, what are your thoughts on potential “limitations (govt. intervention, related video monopolization, etc…)” on these websites? Will these “limitations” become more dominant in the future, or will the people always find a way to share information?
P.S. Amazing post! Keep it up~!!
First of all, I loved your post. I do take many sides with your logic on this particular topic, most notably that of the varying views of race in the world today, and how the way we tell the story dictates how others will perceive not only ourselves, but what we’ve said in general.
I was wondering what you thought of the current state of the U.S. after the election of President Barack Obama. Many studies have concluded that racism has actually increased since the inauguration of the President. Is it due to the idea that the president of a primarily Caucasian country, should be representative of it’s majority Like how many believe Miss America should be white? They’re both representing the U.S., and it’s the same argument, albeit in a different and more serious form.
While I’m raising questions worthy of answers, Barack Obama at a beauty pageant does seem quite hilarious.
Barack Obama at a beauty pageant….. “Once seen, cannot be unseen” haha.
More to the point though, I do believe that racism is still present I think what triggered it was that a lot of what was happening in the US in terms of race has hidden under the radar until a few years ago. To be honest, I do think there is a high possibility that is the reason why but demographics are constantly evolving so despite the fact the US is predominantly Caucasian, the people who have an issue with race should learn to embrace it as best as they can.
Social media opens up possibilities for regular people to be involved in national conversations. This has allowed for different perspectives to be heard on a lot of hot button issues. As you pointed out, Youtube serves as a platform for people to weigh in on race relations. Through this medium people feel empowered and involved in current affairs. However, viewers can loose sight of the fact that the people making these videos, for the most part, are not experts. Most of the video posts are made by regular people with an opinion to share. We must be careful to keep the conversation from straying from productive debate to angry rhetoric. Main stream media, while it can be heavily opinionated, still must be anchored in fact. Youtubers and social media commentators are not held to the same standards, no one will penalize them for being inaccurate or having unfounded claims. Thus, an issues true origins can get muddled. This is where the power of the individual comes into play. What is the individuals responsibility in identifying such inaccuracy’s? If we find an inaccuracy, is it acceptable to only keep it to ourselves or must we alert the public?
If you don’t mind I will respond in a sociological perspective:
I think the individual’s responsibility in identifying such inaccuracies is to be reflexive (being aware of the biases you are dealing with). So I believe it is the individual’s responsibility to decide how inaccurate and/or accurate something is. When we are dealt with a significant inaccuracy, I think it is acceptable to alert the public especially when it is a critical inaccuracy such as China and the US going to war (http://www.inquisitr.com/1761880/world-war-iii-hacked-news-outlets-report-on-fake-war-between-china-u-s/). We as society have to apply our personal agency and current social structures to distinguish what is an inaccuracy and what is not. Minor inaccuracies are acceptable to keep to ourselves I believe as long as it does not impact the public in an adverse way due to a misrepresentation of information.