Social Lives #89 | On the Internet, nobody knows you're a Dog
While I'll never charge for 'Social Lives,' it does take half a day to put together each week. I realise that times are super tight for everyone right now, but if you enjoy reading this newsletter and can spare the cost of a coffee, it would be appreciated.
You can donate to my KoFi via https://ko-fi.com/cattington. If you can't do that, please forward this on to friends - and enemies - who may be interested!
ON THE INTERNET, NOBODY KNOWS YOU'RE A DOG
In 1993, The New Yorker published a cartoon containing an adage that has become synonymous with how we live our lives online. Two dogs are sitting in front of a PC, with one telling the other ‘on the internet, nobody knows you’re a dog’. It’s so famous it has its own Wikipedia article. Anonymity has long been a feature of social media - online, you can be anyone you want to be, both to your benefit and your detriment. Over the years, I’ve played many roles in many social media spaces, for money and for my own enjoyment. I’ve been a horny teenage boy, a concerned Mum, a Harry Potter stan - all totally different from the person I actually am. There’s something incredibly liberating about being someone else, someone nothing like who you are day to day.
With anonymity comes risk. These spaces give us freedom to not be our real selves, but sometimes the people we turn into are toxic. Trolls are everywhere - think about how many times you’ve seen a Twitter account with an anime avatar saying the worst things imaginable. Trolls hate anyone outside of their own circle, with women, fat people, LGBTQ, disabled and people of colour often receiving the brunt of their abuse.
One of the worst examples is the treatment black and asian footballers receive on Twitter and Instagram. Not a week goes by without me switching on Sky Sports News to learn that another player has had something horrible sent to them because they missed a set piece or made an error that cost the match. Representatives from the big social media channels issue ‘we’re looking into it’ statements promising that the perpetrators will be punished. Maybe a few of them will wake up one morning to find the police at their door, but nothing really changes.
Recently, Katie Price (aka Jordan to all you other children of the 00s) started the #TrackaTroll campaign, petitioning parliament for legislation that would make verified ID a requirement for a social media account. Her intentions mean well. Her teenage son, Harvey, is regularly abused online for his disabilities. But just because someone has good intentions doesn’t mean that their campaign is a good thing.
Anonymity can facilitate toxic behaviour, but it can also be a lifeline to those who can’t be their real selves online. Sex workers, queer teenagers, trans people, victims of abuse - they all use social media to promote their services, find their own communities and protect themselves. Forcing them to reveal their real names opens them up to abuse - and not just online.
We need to consider the implications of these platforms holding so much of our personal information. It seems strange that, only a few years after the Cambridge Analytica scandal, people are actively campaigning to give Facebook, Twitter, et al everyone’s birth certificate, NI number and passport details. Do we really trust these corporations to protect the data and not use it to their own advantage? Do we really trust them not to be hacked? I don’t even trust Facebook with my phone number; I’m certainly not providing them with an excuse to inspect my wallet.
If - God forbid - this legislation was approved, do we really expect people to behave better online just because we can see their real names? Some of the worst abuse I’ve ever seen in my job came from people who felt bold enough to be their real selves. Recently, I’ve been working with a housing charity and every day I’ve logged on to see truly heinous opinions shared by people who freely post details of their jobs, their families and their day-to-day lives. Earlier this week, the journalist Ash Sarkar won substantial financial damages - and a very public apology - from Julie Burchill, who had sent her abusive messages about her religion, her appearance and her sex life. Burchill felt comfortable enough to do this because she was shielded by her profession and her status as a right-wing agitator. Blue tick journalists regularly post terrible opinions that they’ll never apologise for. What’s the point of removing anonymity when it won’t make a lick of difference to these people?
What even defines ‘trolling’? Is it calling someone ‘bald’? Is it expressing an opinion different to your own? Is it calling out someone for their bad behaviour? Placing the onus on individuals removes the requirement for the media, social media channels and employers to put processes in place reprimanding people for posting abuse. It’s perfectly fine to want to be someone else on social media. Just make sure that person isn’t a dickhead.
JOBS BOARD
Freelance/Remote: A 'prestigious London based university' is looking for a Social Media Officer to work with them over a busy twelve week period
Freelance: If you like the cars that go boom, Motorsports agency 115 Degrees have put out a call for Social Media freelancers
Freelance: OMD are advertising for a Paid Social Media Manager
Freelance: A 'well loved international brand' are looking for a Social Media Manager to work with them for 6 - 8 weeks
Full Time: The Pokemon Company are recruiting a Social Media Associate
SELF PROMOTION CORNER: YUNOJUNO'S FREELANCER OF THE WEEK
Honestly, what's the point of writing one of the finest weekly social media newsletters out there if I can't use it for a little self promotion? Me and my GIANT FACE are YunoJuno's 'Freelancer of the Week,' which is excellent news for all you Christina McMc fans. If you want to find out more about what I do for a living, the clients I've worked (and maybe even book me?) take a look at my profile on there. Coincidentally, I have a lot of capacity after 6th April, so if you'd like me to work with you, drop me an email.
IN THE NEWS
Instagram limits activity between teens and adults they don’t follow (WeRSM)
UK social media influencers are warned over ad rules breaches (The Guardian)
Facebook is increasing penalties for rule-breaking groups and their members (TechCrunch)
Twitter is testing letting you watch YouTube videos right from a tweet (The Verge)
THINGS I LIKE
Want to know exactly how long your pasta should cook for? There's a Spotify playlist for that (Fast Company)
Long Live Hugs (The Cut)
The mythos of food in New York rap (Vittles)
How the killing of Sarah Everard has exposed the deadly truth of violence in Britain (New York Times)
"How do I deal with my mobile phone addiction?" This piece hit a little too close to home for my liking (Gal-Dem)
The muddled history of anti-Asian violence in the USA (The New Yorker)
In this week's episode of the excellent 'What Page Are You On?' podcast, the lads go to the movies (What Page Are You On?)
CAT(S) OF THE WEEK: SALT & PEPPER
I spotted these two gorgeous Siamese twins on Twitter this week and honestly, just look at them. Their names are Salt and Pepper, and they're twins who live in Canada. They look so gorgeous! And so soft! Let's just ignore the fact that Siamese cats are notoriously noisy and would probably scream at me more than The Void Boys currently do (which, by the way, is 90% of the time they're awake and not eating). I just want to spend the rest of the day looking at their Instagram account and wishing I could stroke them. If you want to see more of Salt and Pepper, you can find them on Insta at @saltpeppersiamesetwins
SEND ME YOUR CATS! If you'd like your kitty to be featured in the best (and only) newsletter to feature social media news and cats, email me!
Thanks for reading Social Lives! If you've found this useful and want to say something nice, reply to this newsletter, send me an email or forward this on to your friends so that they can subscribe.
You can also follow me on Twitter at @ChristinaMcMc and Cattington at @HelloCattington
See you next week!