Fiona Monks (Write Here, Write Now/ 3rd level finalist)

And now for Fiona's WRITE HERE, WRITE NOW entry ...

One Post At A Time

You’d think the world was ending. The headlines scroll by; BREAKING numerous casualties and an unconfirmed number dead, cat video, relationship status. The latest attack, shooting, explosion or recipe for brownies in a mug. A madman with too much money tries to take power while a madman (Good Ol' Uncle John) cracks a joke for a couple laughs. Only one very stable genius there. And it all whizzes by in the whirl of a machine or now, in the overheating of a phone.
There is famine and excess; aid envoy unable to reach trapped civilians; WATCH burgers baked into pizza crusts! Mass graves and foetal remains followed by a campaign and a united display. Opposites pop up like an out of sync Mexican wave. Conservative and progressive meet in ways we’ve never witnessed before. Capitalism or socialism? Religious or atheist? Your alt-right classmate or your granny? All assembled together in one room in an unending, silent shouting match. A sea of information in which I would happily drown or a swamp of opinions I would gladly drain at times.
I love it. I hate it. It means everything. It means nothing but also don’t forget to like my new profile picture… not that I care. Wading through the news (and the fake news) can seem like a daunting task at times. It’s a burden and a gift; to be able to access this much knowledge. Something that could only be dreamed of ten years ago. The entire world is accessible at my fingertips. But information and awareness come at a cost. War, atrocity, genocide and torture slide down the basalt screen, the insular life before the Age of Apple is long, long gone. And so arrives the age of activism, the advocates for justice and yes, the Keyboard Warriors.
It hasn’t been a smooth journey and it hasn’t been without controversy but there is a force for good among this mess we’ve created. For those incarcerated unfairly, for those suffering in foreign lands, for everyone who has fallen through the cracks, here is your platform. Here, there are people willing and able to hear your story and spread it as far and wide as we possibly can. Here is the start of progress. You don’t need to scream, cry or yell because someone is listening. If you want justice, if you want peace, if you want change, here is the generation willing to hear you out and help in any way we can.
Did someone say marriage equality? Halawa? Or even repeal? It’s a new force of nature. The eighth natural(ish) wonder of the world. I know it can appear to be only doom and gloom or just pure insanity at times but social media is a tool for change. Marvel in all we can build with it. Watch the digital grassroots flourish, one post at a time.


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