The Social Responsibility of Tech
Facebook is reportedly blaming a technical glitch for temporarily removing the Falcon Heights shooting video. As the site has been under fire before for accusations of censorship, the Falcon Heights incident brings up an important point: does tech have a responsibility to be socially conscious? In my opinion, tech has far more to lose with not taking social justice seriously.
The Role of Social Justice in Tech
Social justice plays a key role in the development and execution of trends that dominate the digital media landscape. Often, young creatives of color are the ones that lead when it comes to creating content that goes viral with audiences. Yet, as discussed in Fader, there are several factors that play a role in how creators of color often lack the ownership and Social justice impacts tech in that it creates much-needed conversation and accessibility on the platforms we use everyday. And while it’s important that we create platforms that remain adaptable to various uses, we’re also doing a societal disservice if we ignore the impact that social justice has on us all. Video virality can be dangerous, especially if platforms and companies within tech who fight against the importance of amplifying social justice issues. And as video streaming continues to gain popularity amongst users, we need to start better incorporating a more well rounded use of these platforms for a variety of users. Image via Pexels
