Nakamura Response

It seems that every aspect of life today has some relation to social media, an element of society that has become unavoidable. Nakamura argues that interference by women of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community in racist and sexist discourse is unpaid reproductive labor and that the act of educating white members of society is “difficult, valuable and underappreciated.” Not only is this moderation met with claims of censorship and sexism, but trolls, harassment, and threats may result, despite the good intentions and positive, or at the very least, educational, messages that these groups and individuals look to send. “Rewards,” too, exist, in the form of likes, follows, and recognition or praise from a larger group, yet many people are unwilling to accept this commentary or listen to its content.

Nakamura calls into question the foundation of a new culture and element of society; this is a new platform and conversation, relatively speaking, and thus the grounds on which to operate may still waver and be unclear to an individual. This brings up the idea of online etiquette- some users revel in their hidden identities and ability to hide behind a computer screen and thus say/post things that they wouldn’t dare do in person. It is admirable that the women Nakamura speaks of do not hesitate to speak up and speak out against this behavior, especially considering the number of people who use social media. If views of hate are circulated and shared at an overwhelming rate, these ideas will radiate into other elements of society and possibly mold the views of younger generations. These women are taking it upon themselves to educate the greater public and call out unacceptable behavior online, which also indicates that said words or actions are also not acceptable in other settings or in person. Whether for positive or negative purposes, social media has great power of mobilization, and it is our responsibility as a society to recognize both the risk and reward (both subjective) that exists within that idea.