The Message and the Medium

I've heard it said that social media is a disease. That it's at the root of all that ails us in today's society. That even with all the good aspects of it, there is still so much more that's horrible. There are even a few studies to back up this point of view.

I don't necessarily believe that social media is a disease, but it makes very obvious the symptoms of the disease. These symptoms are the words people feel comfortable enough to share with the world, but would never say to someone's face. The fact that they take the time to write them out makes me think that they really believe them to be true, regardless of how ridiculous they sound when spoken aloud. I'm not talking about conspiracy theories - those have always been with us and most of the time are really only viewpoints that involve the person speaking. I'm talking about personal attacks, the putting down and dehumanizing of others. If you do that on social media, it no longer matters if you choose not to say those words to someone's face, because now we know you.

When we speak of “media” these days, we generally mean the news media or “social” media. The way I'm using the word here is a little more like the original definition. In case you’re not aware, “media” is the plural of “medium”. Latin words are kind of weird that way. So let's look at the definition of “medium” from Oxford Reference. It's pretty long, so here are the first three definitions:

Medium:

1. The means or agency through which communication takes place; often synonymous with channel.

2. The physical vehicle of expression employed in a representation, ranging from general categories of artistic or technical forms or modes of expression…

3. Most broadly, any substance or process through which reality is apprehended or constructed.

When I think of the word "medium", I envision a go-between or a substance whose primary purpose is to carry something else. Like an untinted can of paint waiting for colour, or a piece of white bread waiting for butter and strawberry jam. No one really cares that much about the bread, only how good the jam is. I also picture a strange looking old woman with a crystal ball and long fingernails who channels my Dad’s Uncle Bill. Again, the old lady is immaterial as long as she can get hold of Bill. That's how I see social media. As a medium for communication, that is, although sometimes as a scary old woman as well I suppose. The “problem” with this view is that it inherently invests the users of said medium with the responsibility of using it either for good or for evil.

Never has this been so openly on display than during the pandemic measures instituted by our governments during the last two and a half years.

It seemed like every day during this period I’d see comments on social media that were basically saying that those who decided not to get vaccinated were less intelligent, less caring, less deserving, and just generally less human than the rest of us. It was disgusting and kind of pathetic to see otherwise reasonable people revelling in their newly acquired membership in this exclusive club, and so callously relegating everyone else to the realm of the “unclean”. And of course this view was also often extended to anyone who attempted to show any empathy or understanding towards these societal rejects.

All this was already bad enough (kids will be kids, right?) and then the government came out with the vaccine passports, which basically legitimized this attitude and the "lesser-than" status of a very large minority of Canadians with a government stamp of approval, complete with official certificate and personalized ID.

Few things shock me these days, but the fact that Trudeau actually did that, after specifically saying he was opposed to the idea - that surprised me. Not that he broke his promise, that's more or less expected at this point. What shocked me was… oh alright, so I wasn't really surprised. At all. But I was furious.

Think about it. The whole thing began as an election promise with our Prime Minister saying there would be "consequences" for those who opt out of vaccination without a "legitimate medical reason". We discovered fairly quickly that “legitimate medical reasons” were few and far between. Remember, this was only six months after he came out as opposed to vaccine mandates on the grounds that it would be divisive. It's very telling how much more appropriate divisiveness is when you're trying to win an election.

This is the message we received right from the start - and right from the top. This message was constantly reinforced by the “news” media and the majority of the Liberal Party. It was basically a constant stream of enablement to those who made it their mission to “call out” the dissenters. By the way, “call out” today means to basically slaughter someone's character on social media. No wonder so many people felt so free to do exactly that.

My heart ached for the people of this country at the time. And I'm not just saying that in a cheesy, cliché kind of way. This issue all on its own is responsible for the dissolution of untold friendships and has even torn families apart. One of the things the vaccine passport did was target the very businesses that the existing government regulations had already hurt the most. Businesses and artists/entertainers that wanted nothing more than to be able to serve ALL their customers were instantly forced to participate in toxic politics by separating the sheep from the goats, or risk being "outed" on social media. Even as a guitar instructor, I was informed by the art gallery where I teach one day a week that I would need to check my students’ vaccination status before I allowed them in the building. And for what? The possibility that a fully vaccinated person MIGHT get a severe cold from a dirty un-vaxxer?

For my part, I informed the art gallery that I would not take part in such ridiculousness, and that it was their job to make sure people met their requirements to enter their building. I think I was probably more polite than that, and I didn't blame the people there. They were just doing what the government had ordered them to do - it's a government building so no one really had a choice in the matter, but I wanted no part of it.

I called it right away - I could see it coming. People lost their jobs and their businesses on account of this. People who really just wanted to be left alone to do their jobs and take care of their families and not bother anyone. Because of this rule, long-time friends were cast aside, family was ostracized and uninvited to family gatherings, businesses were slandered online and given hordes of bad reviews.

Good, normal people were disparaged and vilified on social media, but to blame the media for the message is the biggest cop-out of all.

No, it's not the medium that's the disease. The medium is merely the go-between. The disease was there long before Facebook, and long before the internet. I'm not going to pretend I know the entire story but I've got a pretty damn good idea that a big factor is simply good old fashioned fear. And fear is the currency of our news editors and the sharpest tool in our government’s tool box. Control and manipulation are the product. But even that isn't the end of the story, because after all the excuses are exhausted, it really ends with you and me, and what we choose to believe about what they're feeding us. If we can take this one lesson from this whole universe of shit, then maybe we can say we got the message, and if not then I'm one hundred percent certain we'll get to try again.