Jhamel Robinson organized a massive BBQ in Oakland after a racial altercation went viral. Dr. Meredith Clark highlights the need for social media platforms to hire members of vulnerable communities. Jon Ronson discusses snap judgements. Professor Kip Williams shares insights on tribalism.
Social media can be used to mobilize communities and create powerful connections, as seen in the story of a black community gathering in response to a racist incident.
Ostracism, whether online or offline, has profound negative effects on mental health and self-worth, highlighting the importance of preventing and addressing this issue.
Deep dives
The Power of Social Media in Building Community
The podcast explores how social media can create powerful connections and communities. It begins by discussing a story of a black community gathering at a park in response to a racist incident, which was mobilized through social media. The episode then discusses the concept of in-groups and out-groups and how digital tools can amplify our natural instincts. It highlights the importance of designing platforms that protect vulnerable users and involving them in the development process. The episode also delves into the phenomenon of online shaming and the need for patience and evidence in judgment. It concludes with the story of a girl who used the internet to create an app called 'Sit with us' to combat social isolation in schools.
The Psychological Effects of Ostracism
Research on human minds shows that ostracism, whether online or offline, activates pain detection centers in the brain and diminishes self-esteem, feelings of belonging, and control. Ostracism leads to anger, sadness, and depression, with long-term effects on mental health and self-worth. The episode explores an experiment where individuals were ostracized by their colleagues and the profound effect it had on everyone involved. It emphasizes the adaptive nature of ostracism in social animals and the challenge of preventing it from happening entirely.
Using the Internet to Build a Positive Impact
The episode highlights the story of Natalie Hampton, a girl who experienced severe bullying and ostracism in school. She created the 'Sit with us' app to help kids find inclusive groups to sit with during lunchtime. The app gained immense popularity and became a tool for building communities in multiple countries. The episode showcases how social media can be used to promote positive change and connect people who want to create a more inclusive society.
It’s a problem when tribalism divides us, online or in real life. Join Veronica Belmont and Franchesca Ramsey as they meet the people working to make the web — and world — friendlier places. Jhamel Robinson discusses how he used social media to organize a massive BBQ in Oakland after a racial altercation went viral; Dr. Meredith Clark sheds light on the need for social media platforms to hire members of vulnerable communities; Jon Ronson talks about snap judgements; Professor Kip Williams speaks to the effects of ostracism online and off; and recent high school graduate Natalie Hampton shares her story of surviving extreme bullying and what she's doing now to help others.
IRL is an original podcast from Mozilla. For more on the series go to irlpodcast.org.
Here is material on digital inclusion from Mozilla. We also recommend reading this article from Mozilla's head of Diversity & Inclusion, Larissa Shapiro, on inclusive and exclusive culture.
Find Franchesca Ramsey's new book Well That Escalated Quickly on her personal site, and check her out on MTV's Decoded.
Jon Ronson's book, So You've Been Publicly Shamed, is available here. Follow Jon as he tries his hardest to be an expressive (but respectful) online citizen on Twitter.
And, learn more about Natalie Hampton's Sit With Us app here.
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