The post-election firestorm raging in the US is covering a lot of ground, jumping oceans and sizzling the shores of far-reaching continents. For those who said Donald Trump's election wouldn't affect the average Australian – "not our circus, not our monkeys" – guess what: don't look now Australia, but there's a 120 kilogram gorilla on your back and after his recent call with Malcolm Turnbull, it's clear this monkey doesn't intend to play nice.
On a social anxiety level, as he's done in other parts of the world, Trump emboldens those Australians who share his abrasive personality and misinformed, discriminatory views of others, being sure to keep the racial fires stoked and the refugee sensitivities rubbed raw. He spreads hate, fear and unrest and with his trigger-happy finger on the nukes, he's the world's most powerful autocrat.
I think this should concern us all, yet, in daily conversation, in the real world and online, I'm frequently met with first-world irritation at the way "this Trump stuff" has interrupted our daily lives. Or, more importantly, our usually uninterrupted newsfeeds of cat videos.
I had a conversation with a woman who said she misses the days when her Facebook feed was full of food pics and family holiday photos. When I pressed her, she explained that those were symbols of simpler times, happier days.
A conversation with another woman was not so wistful. She was downright rude. As an Australian, she saw no need to get involved with the political debate nor the activism opposing Trump since he isn't her prime minister. She accused concerned Australians who post on social media about their worry and disdain for Trump as being obsessed and attacked them for being ignorantly naive and sanctimonious. She'd rather see pretty pictures, she said.
But there's a reason social media is awash with political posts right now, and, yes, there's definitely been an increase in the political content there. Rightly so. These are concerning and uncertain times in ways many of us have never experienced. Sharing how we feel and what we think about this turmoil only seems natural. And, when it comes to mobilising action for change, social media is an effective tool.
This is no great revelation. Social media has been used to start revolutions for years. So much so that during events such as the Syrian uprising and the Libyan revolution, authorities shut down the internet to prevent organisation and communication.
Governments know that with 50 per cent of the 18-24 age group going on Facebook as soon they wake in the morning, information is shared quickly and can incentivise action with just a click. At 1.79 billion, Facebook has more monthly active users than WhatsApp (500 million), Twitter (284 million) and Instagram (200 million) combined. As a person who uses Facebook for an all-in-one stop like so many of us do – to message friends and family, collect news, archive photos, argue, agitate – think about how these statistics relate to our own posts. Think about the reach of your words.
This is a powerful tool. For the time being, we have a weapon literally at our fingertips. I get it when I hear people say they miss the days of cat videos, food pics and baby photos. I miss those days too, but things just got real, folks.
The US is muscling up to war with Iran while Russia plays sly suitor to America, engaging in potential corruption of various sorts. Meanwhile, China is looking to enjoy a more favourable global-political view of itself and Trump is burning bridges with peaceful allies such as Australia.
I miss cat videos. I do. I miss those days of oblivion. But for now, those days are gone. There's something happening out there. You might not see the flames from your own backyard just yet, but if you take a whiff, you'll smell the smoke. Trump is a global problem, not just an American problem and people the world over are alarmed by the uncertainty he imposes on our future.
Mobilisation via social media, like the women's marches and anti-Trump protests following his inauguration, are a constructive use of Facebook. Apologies if we're interrupting you there with your catnip, but important things are happening in the world, and it's our civic duty to understand, digest and, if need be, take action with any means possible.
To dismiss such a powerful mode of communication as Facebook as superficial entertainment is to grossly undervalue one of our most potent weapons against a dominating government and the submission of its people. Free speech and its modes of communication should be broadly and freely used and reverently protected.
But if you still find political posts of activism mundane and repetitious in your newsfeed and can't muster the energy to care, you can always keep scrolling or click the option to "Hide" similar content. If you think hiding is really the thing to do at a time like this.
Aubrey Perry is a Fairfax Media columnist.
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