social media literacy in the time of covid
When deciding what to post to your IG feed in the middle of a pandemic, be a Diane Keaton, not a Madonna.
Listen, I’m coming to come right out with what, a week ago, might have been a borderline-lukewarm take: I’m not a big Madonna fan (instead, let it be known that I wish to be clearly identified on my tombstone as a Janet Gay).
Sure, I have fond memories of screaming Like a Prayer on many a dance floor. I’m obsessed with some of Madonna’s material that bookended the turn of the millennium, namely the Ray of Light and Confessions on a Dance Floor albums. During my #quarantinedanceparty daily Instagram Story video series, I did a week-long tribute to Madonna. Madonna is an icon who changed music forever and that cannot be denied and should not be discredited. But I draw the line at pandemic trutherism.
Last week, Madonna joined the likes of Donald Trump, his son and others in the “plandemic” crowd by sharing a video espousing the widely-discredited “truth”-telling of Dr. Stella Immanuel and calling her a “hero.” Instagram flagged the post for the false information it contained, and the post — after getting Madonna received a brilliantly sharp tongue-lashing from Annie Lennox in the comments — was deleted.
Immanuel is part of the America’s Frontline Doctors group which is touting anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a potential COVID-19 treatment and casting doubt on the preventative benefit of mask-wearing. The treatment has also been pushed by President Trump and right-wing pundits like Rush Limbaugh, even as the WHO, FDA and Dr. Anthony Fauci all have warned against the usage of the drug as a coronavirus treatment due to the high risk that it may introduce heart rhythm issues and other problems. Brett Giroir, who is heading up the Trump administration’s approach to COVID testing, said Sunday it is “time to move on” from the hydroxychloroquine hype and focus on actually viable treatments.
Immanuel has also claimed that alien DNA is used in medical treatments, that witches and demons are to blame for many medical conditions and that same-sex marriage will lead to adults marrying children. Level headed stuff all around, basically. Nevertheless, she is standing by what she is saying on COVID and demons sleeping with people. (If you want to go on quite a journey, read this interview Immanuel just did with a local news channel in Houston.)
Meanwhile, people are eating this stuff up, as the Immanuel video continues to rack up millions of views and shares. Still, Madonna isn’t the only celebrity who’s been using their massive followings to amplify conspiracy theories of late, and this isn’t a problem that’s unique to the right wing — there’s a lot of garbage flying around.
So what’s a regular ole you-and-me to do when we see misinformation? The brilliant Chicago-based poet and sociologist Eve Ewing (who you should be following if you’re not already) posted a brilliant reminder to her Instagram last month: A reminder to be a conscious consumer and sharer of the sort of racial justice explainer-type posts that have been growing in popularity on Instagram in recent months. And the lesson extends to other issues and other platforms, as well.
Basically, it’s social media literacy 101: Before re-sharing a post, ask yourself if the information is coming from a reputable, vetted source. Ask yourself if that source is being credited in the post. And also evaluate the information to determine whether it might be harmful, misleading or, simply, wrong. When in doubt, check other sources. And when you see misinformation in the wild, on your social media feed or in conversation, explain to the poster why the information is incorrect, if at all possible. Above all: Just don’t be a dummy.
Diane Keaton’s IG is much-needed content for These Times. (Diane Keaton/Instagram)
That’s a lot of doom and gloom for this week, but I also wanted to shine some light on some celebrities who are getting social media very, very right in recent weeks.
First off, are you following Diane Keaton on Instagram? Because you absolutely should be. Starting in first May, the Something’s Gotta Give icon began her “Diane By Design” series of IGTV videos centered on her style. First, she walked us through a closet purge ahead of a trip to Goodwill. She has since followed this up with videos focused on her hat collection, belt collection, a discussion on architecture and, most famously, a taco Tuesday edition that spawned a flurry of speculation on Twitter about just how large Keaton’s kitchen is and why she keeps her forks so far away from her stove.
Also deserving of a mention here, of course, is Martha Stewart. When I first saw the 78-year-old’s God-level poolside selfie in my Instagram feed, I didn’t think anything of it. This is the sort of content our domestic hero has been consistently serving on her personal @marthastewart48 handle for years now. It’s always been raw, a little weird and typically riddled with typos, bad food photography and run-ons. She once walked her 900K+ followers through a graphically detailed cosmetic dentistry journey. In other words, it’s perfect and I hope it never, ever changes. (FLASH POLL! Would you like to see a ranking of Martha’s best IG posts through the years? Because I’m willing to commit the time to this journalism.)
But then it became a thing. Chelsea Handler posted her take on it, and Martha casually and savagely roasted her in the comments. As Antoni Porowski knows well, you just don’t come for Martha. Because she’ll catch you flat-footed every single time.
And finally, an honorable mention goes to Sarah Michelle Gellar by way of the brilliant SNL cast member Chloe Fineman. Fineman noticed that Buffy herself was posting #SMGtipsoftheday “quaran-tips” on everything from Tupperware sorting to bananas and posted her own seamless impersonation of the star. Gellar reposted the videos to her feed and asked Fineman where she got her headband. We stan a star of film and screen who’s willing to laugh at herself (and it should be noted that Reese Witherspoon, who Fineman also recently spoofed, does not appear to have acknowledged the tributes to either her Emmys FYC push or the iconic Legally Blonde courtroom scene.)
See, no 5G conspiracy theories or QAnon nods here. Just comforting, quality, bizarro white lady content for the masses. This is what the internet was made for.
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Read: I’ve been trying to keep up with my reading goals (I’ve aimed to read 50 books each of the last two years and have fallen just short each time) and recently lost some momentum after reading several consecutive memoirs. I’ve since dove back into fiction and I think escapism is a better fit for the moment. The most recent book I’m finishing up right now is horror author Grady Hendrix’s The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, which came out earlier this year. I’ve seen it described as “Steel Magnolias meets Dracula” and that feels accurate. It’s a fun, weird, gross read if you’re into that sort of thing. Carmen Maria Machado wrote one of the best things I’ve read this year so far (In the Dream House), and she and Hendrix just appeared together in an interview for LibraryCon 2020.
Watch: Though I’ve been drawn into fiction in my reading material, I’ve been pulled in the opposite direction when it comes to my TV diet. Netflix’s Indian Matchmaking has been a real comfort watch lately, as I’ve found myself heavily invested in the lives of many of the women featured in the show in particular (many of the men either seem to be closeted gay men or so socially stunted they can barely hold a conversation). When star matchmaker Sima Taparia says “ultimately my efforts are meaningless if the stars are not aligned” is a truly relatable quarantine mood. Though there have been some criticisms of how the show handles issues like caste, colorism and gender, I thought my former HuffPost colleague Mallika Rao had an interesting take in a piece she wrote for Vulture. (Also, duh, please stream Black Is King immediately.)
Listen: Róisín Murphy just announced she is releasing a new album called Róisín Machine out on Sept. 25. Between Dua Lipa, Jessie Ware and this news, this is the summer of soft disco, and the singles she’s already released have been among her best work, so this is truly blessed news. Speaking of celebrity quarantine content, I also deeply appreciate Róisín’s commitment to filming at-home music videos for the new songs as well as several old favorites over on her YouTube channel.
Act: Did y’all know the U.S. Postal Service has been brought to its knees by its new Trump-appointed leader, who also just happens to be a Trump mega-donor? New policies recently implemented under the direction of Louis DeJoy have dramatically slowed mail service and could threaten the very existence of one of the top employers of women, minority populations and veterans in this country. At a time when voting by mail is being decried by the president and could decide the election in November, this is something to monitor closely.
How can you help the struggling agency? Go to the USPS website to buy stamps and other supplies. There’s some good stuff there, folks! There’s a collection honoring hip hop featuring the photography of Cade Martin. There’s also a sheet dedicated to leading voices of the Harlem Renaissance including novelist Nella Larsen and poet Anne Spencer. They have a very goth-friendly collection of “Spooky Silhouette” stamps you should buy to creep out all your friends year-round. Additionally, reach out to your elected officials in Washington and urge them to step up and defend the USPS.