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Course: Social media literacy > Unit 2
Lesson 5: Take action! Share your storyActivity: Write your story and change the system
A step-by-step guide to writing a powerful social media story
How can I change the system with my story?
Sharing your story can have a real impact. Around the world millions of people are struggling to have healthy relationships with technology, and reading stories about that struggle can help people feel less alone and ashamed.
People in power are also watching: employees advocating for change in social media companies have been eager to read stories on MySocialTruth, as have members of Congress.
Company executives, board members, and investors often focus on the benefits of their products because that’s what is profitable. But your story can help to force them to consider the widespread harms that are often hidden in painful experiences that are never shared.
✍️ ACTIVITY: WRITE YOUR STORY:
Stories with the deepest impact do the following:
- They tell a story or share anecdote(s)..
- For example: “Here’s when I started using the platform… here’s the impact it had… here’s what I’m struggling with about it now”
- For example: “Here’s when I started using a platform...here’s the impact it had….here’s what I’m doing about it.”
- They include specific details that are personal to your experience, and help the reader understand what you went through.
- They focus on your experiences more than your opinions.
- While opinions are great, they should be shared in a way that’s connected to experience.
🤷 IF YOU’RE STUCK:
If you’re stuck or can’t think of a specific story, read other stories on MySocialTruth, or consider these prompts:
- Has there been a time where social media created resentment or communication challenges with your friends or family?
- How has social media influenced the way you relate to dating, love, and relationships?
- How has social media influenced the way you think of yourself?
- Think about posts you’ve made online that made you feel good. Think about posts online that you wish you could take back. What was the difference between these posts?
- Have you ever been a victim of cyberbullying? Have you been a cyberbully yourself?
- What would you tell your younger self before you started using social media?
- Have you seen or had experiences online with things that aren’t true?
- Have you taken a break from, quit, or changed the way you use social media? Why or why not?
Whatever your story, write it clearly with vivid details. Revise your story until you’re sure it is communicating what you mean for it to.
🗣 SHARE YOUR STORY:
- When you are finished, you can share your story through a platform like MySocialTruth, which is gathering stories to push for change in Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C., or by getting involved in advocacy conversations through a group like Log Off, which is bringing together teens to rethink social media.
- As important as it is to share your story through these forums, sharing stories out loud with others in our classrooms, with friends, and in other group settings is just as valuable. Each time we share a story, we make it easier for others to understand the challenges we face, and we make it safer for others to share their own challenges. The more we learn about our collective struggles, the more we realize what’s at stake, and how urgently change is needed.
Remember that sharing stories requires bravery and vulnerability on the part of the storyteller and great listening from everyone else.
Want to join the conversation?
My life was literally a video game. All was center in stay in games like, Clash Royale, Clash of Clans and Clash of Kings. In the pauses of the games, I lived my life, and I was desperate to get back into video games. In the process I cry and laugh alone, or well with my online friends, because I had few friends in the real life, and they were addicted to video games, too.
Now when I look back to my adolescence I regret the opportunity cost or all the healthy hobbies, skills and relationships that I could create in that stage of my life instead to be playing video games. And now I will not let the social media or AI, take all that valuable time out of my life once again.(7 votes)
I started using social media very recently, and I've noticed that since then, my behavior online and offline has sort of been... polarized is the only word I can think of. I can be so fully myself online, that when it comes to relationships that matter, offline ones, I found myself unable to connect. Sometimes I become so shy I can't even look at people I've known practically all my life in the eye, and glance at the floor instead. Whenever I try to talk to people, my voice just weakens until they can barely hear me. Once, I made a friend online, and even though we go to school together, it took us weeks to actually interact offline. We became so close online that we were talking basically all the time, then total silence when we met offline. My social battery offline is also so low compared to my online one, that I could just exist amongst people for a night and that would completely drain me. A tip I wish I could have given myself is to not let your online self become all you are, and experience real life in as much vivid color as the Internet. I have been able to talk to my cousins normally now, but strangers are still a no-go for me.(4 votes)
The reason you feel that way is due to the transparency and anonymity of social media. Online you can be anyone of anything but offline you can't, you need to be your normal shy self offline.
Happy Learning!(5 votes)
I created a platform on FB for women to share with the world how they experience incarceration. MissCarrying Justice League.
I was mindful not to become addicted to likes, shares, and going viral.
There were moments where we collectively felt like... does anyone even care??
The challenge is in not seeking to be validated by the internet.(6 votes)- As a neurodivergent transgender man, my relationship with the internet has been complex and multifaceted. The online world, with its fast-moving trends and ubiquitous presence, has significantly impacted my social, emotional, and mental well-being. The internet, while offering a platform for connection and community, has also exposed me to a myriad of challenges, particularly in relation to body image issues and self-esteem.
The internet, with its vast array of social media platforms and online communities, has provided me with an avenue to connect with individuals who share similar experiences and identities. This has been invaluable in fostering a sense of belonging and understanding. Through online support groups and forums, I have found solace in knowing that I am not alone in my journey as a transgender individual. The internet has allowed me to access resources, information, and support networks that have been instrumental in my personal growth and self-acceptance.
However, the same internet that has offered me a sense of community has also been a source of immense pressure and scrutiny. Social media, in particular, has presented me with unrealistic beauty standards and idealized images of masculinity, which have exacerbated my pre-existing body image issues. The constant exposure to curated and filtered representations of bodies has led to heightened feelings of inadequacy and dysphoria. This has significantly impacted my self-esteem and mental well-being, contributing to a sense of alienation and distress.
Moreover, the internet's ease of access to hate speech and discriminatory content has exposed me to bigotry and prejudice. As a neurodivergent transgender individual, I have encountered hurtful and derogatory language that has deeply affected my emotional state. The anonymity afforded by the online environment has emboldened individuals to propagate harmful narratives and perpetuate discrimination, leading to increased vulnerability and distress for individuals like myself.
Navigating the internet as a neurodivergent transgender man has been a journey marked by both empowerment and adversity. While the online sphere has offered me connections and resources crucial to my identity exploration and acceptance, it has also been a breeding ground for societal pressures and discriminatory attitudes. The impact of the internet on my social, emotional, and mental health underscores the need for greater awareness, advocacy, and regulation to foster a more inclusive and supportive online environment for all individuals, especially those from marginalized communities.(5 votes)
Why do you think that you are a man when scientifically you are not?(1 vote)
- Being a male on social media is hard and has been hard for me as it is a neverending attack from both sides of you are not manly enough and being too manly is evil and you can never find a balance cause no matter what you do someone is your enemy.(5 votes)
- William, what you need to do is listen/read to some Jordan Peterson on how to be a man.(1 vote)
- I have been on social media since junior high school. Facebook was my first social media site, and later on, I joined most of the social media that followed. At the time, I really enjoyed it because all my friends were also on it. The bad thing that I realize now is that back then, I was so addicted to other people's approval, and I think I am kind of a narcist.
Long story short, I grew up with social media, and I have spent so much time on it without realizing it. Now think of it: I regret that at the time there was anyone who told me how bad social media is.
Now, I'm trying to reduce my time on social media, but I keep coming back to it.
When I wrote this, my friend asked me the reason I wrote it, and I explained it to him. He said that as long as it makes him happy, he doesn't mind; he has to spend most of his time on it. It surprised me because there are people who have accepted the social media problem as a normal thing.(3 votes) - There are times where i'll stop using most social media and just enjoy life as it is. There are also days that i'm always on my phone and cant seem to stay off of it.(2 votes)
I’ve seen myself lately falling into the rabbit hole of online friendships/relationships. Generally, I don’t have a lot of real life friends, but the ones I do have are my closest. But I’ve noticed that my online life has taken up most of my time now. I have an online friend group, and it’s insane to see how much time I spend with them, compared to my family and real life friends. It’s just, whenever I’m not there, something always seems to happen in the group, and I’m left confused because it all happened when I was gone. I think that’s one of the things that keeps me coming back. FOMO.(1 vote)- Yeah, it is called Social Media Addiction but as long as you are being safe and not giving most of your personal information and you are not being cyberbullied by your friends online, you should be good! Just be safe and be wary, do not completely trust people online because they could be someone completely different!
Happy Learning!(2 votes)
i am not doing this(1 vote)
I started using social media (mostly Instagram) a year or two ago. I'm sure it has affected me in some ways but nothing too drastic. I'm trying to spend less time on social media, and trying to do something a little more productive, while having it still be something fun (sewing, crochet, tennis, etc.). My parents manage my account, and make sure i'm being safe. It hasn't created any problems with my family, and a lot of the things i see are about body positivity and a lot of positive things overall. There are some things that were false and obviously you shouldnt trust social media, but i haven't been a victim of cyberbullying. Overall, the only problem i have with social media is that i spend too much time on it.(0 votes)- Good, i personally had a different experience. I was feeling very addicted to TikTok and other social medias and only cared about what the people on the glass screen thought of me, i began to not take care of myself and it got pretty bad. But after i quit i started feeling alot better and began taking care of myself and developed a habit of not caring what other people think of me!
Happy Learning!(3 votes)