social media — SOCIAL JUSTICE — The Catalyst Project

There is Not One Action Done by Women That is Not Criticized

By: Caroline Jung

The CatalystJanuary 31, 2021women's rights, women, social justice, society, social media, social, beauty standardsComment

Performative Activism: What are Flooded Instagram Stories Really Accomplishing?

By: Meredith Stewart

Performative activism has presented itself as an increasingly prevalent issue over the course of this tumultuous year. This summer I found myself clicking through hundreds of reposts and scrolling past dozens of black squares without even making an effort to read, let alone, understand, the messages behind the posts. However, I don’t think I am the only one who chooses to ignore these Instagram floods.

The CatalystDecember 30, 2020performative activism, activism, social media, instagram, activist, black lives matter, blm, reflection, allyComment

Pronoun Paradox

By: Katie Harbaugh

If you’ve been on any form of social media lately, you’ve probably noticed that lots of people have added their pronouns to their bios. As a background, pronouns differ from person to person. Some individuals go by she/her, while others use he/him, or they/them, etc. For a long time, mainly nonbinary and transgender people put their pronouns in their bios, so people wouldn’t address them incorrectly. The problem with this is that consequently, transphobic people became more inclined to target those with pronouns in their bio.

The CatalystDecember 30, 2020pronouns, lgbtq, social media, respect, allyComment

Phone Restrictions, From a Child’s View

Recently, as online learning has started for my school, my parents and I got into an argument about whether or not they should control the amount of time I can use my phone. Of course, I said no, since it’s the method that I depend on to de-stress and because there is no reason to control it since I do not do anything that impacts other people directly like using money on apps. My parents said yes.

The CatalystSeptember 19, 2020social media, society, social, phone, restrictionsComment

First Amendment through Social Media

Almost everyone has heard of TikTok, one of the fastest growing social media applications in recent years. I surpassed a following of 100,000 and became an “influencer” on the app. As exciting as amassing thousands of followers is, the most eye-opening experience was actually completely unrelated to my personal platform.

The CatalystAugust 16, 2020tik tok, social media, society, first amendmentComment

Cancel Culture Needs to Stop

This toxic culture is something that countless people and organizations have suffered from, many never having recovered.

The CatalystJuly 7, 2020social media, society, social, culture, toxic cultureComment

Youtube and Censorship

by Caroline Hurley

Does YouTube have a greater responsibility toward the safety of its viewers or complete and total freedom of speech? Let’s break it down.

The CatalystSeptember 26, 2019youtube, censorship, homophobic, racist, alt-right, neo-nazi, freedom of speech, free speech, social mediaComment

Civility in the Public Sphere and Free Speech - an Interview with Robert Post

by Sinead Li and Jessica Chang

In an age where it seems free speech is being curtailed - on campuses, in workplaces, and in the public arena, the definition of free speech itself is continually being debated. Robert Post is the Sterling Professor of Law at Yale University, and the author of Democracy, Expertise, and Academic Freedom.