Short videos are changing how we think, spend and unwind, especially as students and young adults
Anyone with access to the internet would likely by now have come across some variant of short-form content.
Whether through YouTube shorts, Spotify, or Instagram Reels, the infamous TikTok-style algorithm and short videos have made their mark on our generation. From the way we think, consume, unwind and spend time, your algorithm might have more of a say in your life than you realize.
The recent short-lived ban on TikTok in the United States was more than just a regulatory decision. It highlighted how ingrained short-form content has become in our routines. It’s not just a way to pass the time. It shapes our attention spans, spending habits and even the way we engage with information.
As platforms like YouTube and Instagram continue to push short-form videos, entertainment is shifting from deep and immersive experiences to rapid, fleeting interactions.
A key distinction between traditional longer video consumption and platforms like TikTok is that they rely on user agency.
For example, on YouTube, users intentionally search for and select videos, maintaining a degree of awareness and control over their viewing experience. While recommended content is influenced by viewing history, users still engage with the platform through deliberate choices.
In contrast, TikTok almost completely dictates what users see, leveraging an algorithm that continuously curates content without requiring active selection. Even when users scroll past videos they are uninterested in, they are still subjected to brief exposure, passively consuming information.
TikTok almost completely dictates what users see, leveraging an algorithm that continuously curates content without requiring active selection.
In this system, consumers' interactions, responses and viewing durations are meticulously tracked and analyzed to suggest content to them to keep them watching. Ultimately, user control is significantly diminished.
Furthermore, the interface design of short-form media fosters a distinct shift in advertising strategies, creating a stark contrast with YouTube’s approach.
On YouTube, promotional content is typically integrated within longer videos, either as brief ad clips, sponsorships aligned with a creator’s niche, or advertisements placed at the end of a video. While these methods can still be persuasive, they at least offer viewers the opportunity to recognize promotional material within the videos they are watching.
TikTok, however, introduces a far more deceptive form of pushing consumerism.
Due to the rapid nature of short-form content, advertisements are seamlessly embedded within everyday videos, often making it difficult to distinguish between organic content and paid promotions.
Adding to their questionable marketing, the sheer volume of views that can be made on a single paid promotion in a short period creates the illusion of widespread popularity. When multiple influencers showcase a similar product, it appears popular and desirable, reinforcing the perception of its legitimacy.
The very nature of short-form media discourages critical engagement. Instead of scrutinizing content, viewers are more likely to watch passively, glance at the comment section and then continue scrolling.
The very nature of short-form media discourages critical engagement. Instead of scrutinizing content, viewers are more likely to watch passively, glance at the comment section and then continue scrolling.
Given that platforms like TikTok are predominantly used for leisure or to de-stress, especially by students, very few users take the time to apply critical media-literacy skills in an environment designed for quick, fleeting engagement.
I am not against the occasional grumpy cat videos, but with young adults being the main target demographic for platforms like TikTok, our consumer habits drive the future of media. Recognizing these patterns and fostering digital literacy is and will be essential in navigating a landscape increasingly driven by instant gratification and commercialization.
Canada's TikTok crackdown is a product of a politically biased double standard and ignores a larger X-shaped threat
On the Nov. 6, 2024, the Government of Canada ordered TikTok to wind-down its operations in Canada. François-Philippe Champagne, minister of innovation, science and industry, explained in a statement that the decision was based on the findings of a national security inquiry into the app and business.
While the order does not limit Canadians' ability to watch or post videos on TikTok, students should be alert to this potential threat to their access to information.
Canadian creators interviewed by CBC Radio-Canada, as well as Toronto Metropolitan University expert, Phillip Mai, are all concerned about the potential of a future TikTok ban.
Mai explicitly explicitly drew the connection between TikTok and young people, suggesting that the Canadian government might slowly be working its way towards a complete ban, but is holding off for fear of a backlash from young people so close to an election.
Young people would be right to be upset if the government took such drastic actions. The government’s cited concern over national security, as well as stakeholder’s concerns over the ability of TikTok to control the information environment it enables, are in many cases nothing but very thinly-veiled anti-Chinese prejudice.
Expert's national security fears centre on TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, being forced to surrender user data to the Chinese government. Similar sets of Canadian’s personal data are collected by Meta, X (formerly Twitter) and other websites, all with the intent to sell well-targeted ads to advertisers.
Why is it so much more controversial for TikTok to generate a data profile to sell people things than it is for Instagram? All of this information is vulnerable to various forms of nefarious access, so a singular focus on TikTok is politically biased.
Since Elon Musk took over the platform [X, formerly Twitter], he has used it as a personal political weapon; most evidently during the recent US presidential campaign, where algorithmic changes after his Trump endorsement helped to boost right-wing users and posts disproportionately.
X — formerly known as Twitter — represents a much more pressing risk for political interference. Since Elon Musk took over the platform, he has used it as a personal political weapon; most evidently during the recent US presidential campaign, where algorithmic changes after his Trump endorsement helped to boost right-wing users and posts disproportionately.
This is compounded by intentional algorithmic manipulation that promotes Musk’s own tweets to nearly all X users. He used this self-promotion to destructive effect when, in August, he promoted and endorsed then ongoing violent xenophobic riots in the United Kingdom. His tweets were seen by thousands, and amplified the social media firestorm that continued to fuel the riots for a week.
Canadian youth are the most likely age demographic to consume news on TikTok, as well as on social media at large. Because of this, students are particularly vulnerable to the rapid changes in the social media landscape.
Our information feeds are not apolitical, as demonstrated by X and by recent attempts in the US to ban TikTok. Multiple Republican lawmakers close to the project of the still pending ban repeatedly stated that the presence of pro-Palestinian content on TikTok was among their reasons for wanting the app banned, particularly for it’s potential effects on young people’s media habits.
Our information feeds are not apolitical, as demonstrated by X (formerly Twitter) and by recent attempts in the US to ban TikTok.
Every platform has it's own political and economic concerns that get in the way of their being a neutral source of information. From platforms like X disproportionately promoting right-wing content, to Meta’s ban on Canadian news, or the TikTok-speak developed by creators to avoid nebulous censorship - none of these platforms are perfect and none of them should be completely trusted to inform us.
While student's should be concerned about the government's worrying crackdown on TikTok, we can't be uncritical about the platform, or any platform. While social media remains an important tool for us in consuming news and information, we have to approach this consumption critically and recognize how each platform impacts our understanding of the world.
Students warned of fake MSU Instagram account sending messages with a suspicious link
On Saturday, Sept. 14, the McMaster Students Union announced on Instagram that a fake account had been established and was sending messages to students.
The fraudulent account, operating under the handle “@msu.mcmaster,” has been reaching out to students and encouraging them to click on a link, according to the MSU.
In the fake account's bio, it falsely claims to be a second account of the MSU. It also falsely claims that its purpose is for "the selection of winners."
The MSU is encouraging students to not engage with the account, to not click on any links it sends and to report it to Instagram.
"Do not engage with this account. Instead, report and block it immediately to help shut it down," stated the MSU in a post about the scam.
Do not engage with this account. Instead, report and block it immediately to help shut it down.
McMaster Students Union, Instagram Page
For further updates, refer to the MSU’s official Instagram page and keep it locked to the SIL.
If you are an international student who uses social media frequently, and find it hard to put down your phone, it’s time to start prioritizing your social and mental health
By Nada Mahmoud, Contributor
Every day, international students leave their homes and families behind to earn a powerful education abroad and secure a future with greater opportunities. Some might say that trying to make new friends is key to coping with feelings of loneliness. But, being in a new environment with different socio-cultural norms and barriers like language makes it harder to put yourself out there.
The International student population has been rapidly growing in Canada over the past decade, contributing about 22 billion dollars to the Canadian economy.
Universities put in a lot of effort to attract international students, who tend to pay more than triple the tuition of domestic students. However, efforts to support them mentally and socially upon arrival are limited.
When the COVID-19 pandemic came along, feelings of loneliness increased. Many were unable to go back home to their families and the lack of community resulted in increased reliance on social media. According to research, poorly adjusted international students reported the highest use of social media before and after the pandemic. Social media was the only way for students to satisfy their need for social interaction without feeling uncomfortable or exposed.
A study was conducted on university students which considered other factors such as moving into residence, to a new community. With McMaster’s very large international and out-of-province student population, many students end up being away from home in a new environment with new people which can be difficult.
On one hand, some students report low levels of loneliness as they remain focused on schoolwork and only use social media as a method of communication to stay in contact with friends and family.
Yet, most students show high levels of loneliness because they yearned to reinvent themselves online when starting a new phase of their life. The desire to edit themselves caused loneliness. It became challenging to maintain the standards they set, hindering their ability to communicate with other students offline.
Thus, students over-rely on social media, causing severe loneliness and social anxiety. Excessive social media use leads to an increase in cases of loneliness and corresponding mental illnesses which is why researchers continue to try and pinpoint the best way to use social media to take advantage of its benefits while staying shielded from the harm it causes.
Today, mental health research indicates that loneliness is more prominent than ever, which is particularly worrying since the majority of internet and social media users are young adults.
People who use social media the most, especially those who depend on it, suffer at the highest rate. We can see this through the way they use social media which reflects on how it impacts their mental health.
For example, if an international student uses social media to connect with people, they know offline such as family and friends back home, the impact is minor. But for students who use social media as a primary source of communication with others, the impacts are serious. As a result, when they stop or simply log off, all sense of connection vanishes.
Social media usage needs to be managed on a personal level since everyone is different; everyone's brain functions differently and this is especially true for teenagers. Young adults are more vulnerable to developing feelings of loneliness and hurt caused by over-usage. Therefore, trying to reduce social media use and focusing on offline social life is essential for students to keep their mental health a priority.
While resources are offered, current efforts to support international students are severely lacking. As was proven when the pandemic hit students across Canada found it hard to make appointments with their university counsellors due to the high number of students trying to get support. Universities and governments must work to prioritize the social and mental health of international students and provide more holistic support to meet their needs.
Universities can focus on creating spaces for students from similar backgrounds to connect and come together to feel more at home while governments need to focus on making international students feel valued.
Disordered eating has been trending on social media since the early 2010s, but now it wears a new deceptive mask
cw: eating disorders
Approximately one million Canadians have been diagnosed with an eating disorder. Teens and young adults are the most at risk groups. Women are particularly vulnerable as they make up approximately 80 per cent of patients. The risk of developing an eating disorder is further heightened by social media trends that glorify unhealthy eating.
The ‘girl dinner’ trend went viral on TikTok this past summer and remains popular on the for you page. ‘Girl dinner’ started as a joke where young women and girls were showing weird combinations of food they put together as meals. However, the trend quickly slipped into the dangerous territory of disordered eating. People now use it to show off their tiny portions of food. Dinner implies a full meal, but many ‘girl dinners’ are barely a snack.
When ‘girl dinner’ first started promoting unsafe behaviours, I was reminded of the eating disorder culture that ran rampant on Tumblr in the early 2010s. Both ‘girl dinner’ and the pro-anorexia rhetoric from Tumblr encourage people to obsess over lowering calorie intake to obtain the ‘ideal body.’
Although awareness has increased, the culture has not changed. If anything, it is more pervasive and even deceptive. In the 2010s it was easy to discern what posts promoted eating disorders and unattainable bodies. For example, the quote “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels’ was popularized in 2009 by Kate Moss.
Today, it is much trickier to identify certain trends as problematic. ‘Girl dinner’ falls into this category of deception for two reasons.
First, it started as a joke. These meals were not intended to be taken seriously. However, calling a cheese string, five strawberries, and two hardboiled eggs a dinner sends out a harmful message. Some even started calling crying, vaping, and sleeping a ‘girl dinner.’ There are even ‘girl dinner’ filters on TikTok. Several of the options include things like medication, cocktails, and condiments. These are not meals.
Second, ‘girl dinner’ is linked to a broader trend of using the word ‘girl’ as an adjective in phrases like girl dinner, hot girl summer, and girl math. Typically, ‘girl’ has been used to devalue womens’ abilities. Now, the term is being used to reclaim feminine energy and activities. However, in doing so the dangerous implications of ‘girl dinner’ have been harder to discern.
‘Girl dinner’ wears a deceptive mask so it is critical to take a step back and analyze the issues with this trend and others like it.
Several eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder have been listed with symptomatic criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental illness. Collectively, eating disorders are among the deadliest mental illnesses. Disordered eating should never be promoted.
Tumblr was a breeding ground for eating disorders, hating one’s body, and abusing food intake to change one’s appearance. Social media is likely the reason why every single woman in my life has suffered from an eating disorder or has shown signs of disordered eating. Every single woman.
I was young teen when eating disorder culture spread like wildfire on Tumblr. Being bombarded with unhealthy images, quotes, and blogs contributed to my personal struggles with food. It is my hope that McMaster students and Generation Z alike can be the ones to end this cycle of toxicity, and this starts with calling out ‘girl dinner’ for what it is - a trend glorifying mental illness.
If you are struggling with an eating disorder McMaster University’s Student Wellness Centre offers resources to help you find trusted support for you or a friend in need. The National Eating Disorder Information Centre offers a helpline, information, and referrals. The NEDIC also offers resources specifically for racialized community members.
If you need urgent care, St. Joseph’s Healthcare in Hamilton has an Eating Disorder Program to help treat and guide anyone 16 or older. The program does require a referral from your doctor, but St Joseph’s has a self-assessment to guide you towards the treatment necessary for you. Please remember that you are never alone.
In response to Bill C-18, Meta has begun to block the content from the accounts of news outlets for Canadians on their platform
Bill C-18, the Online News Act, received Royal Assent in Jul. 2023. The bill was developed to encourage fairness in the sphere of Canadian digital news and it would require social media and other tech companies, such as Meta, to pay media outlets for use of their news content on any of companies’ platforms.
The Government of Canada introduced this bill in the hopes that it would ensure news outlets are being paid for their work. The government had predicted the act would give companies a total profit just over $300 million per year.
However, the act has sparked much conversation and controversy, particularly following the the reactions from Google and Meta.
Both Google and Meta had indicated their disapproval of the bill from the time it was first proposed. They believed that the revenue that they bring in as social media platforms justifies not being required to pay news media outlets.
Google in particular mentioned that referral from having links on their platforms has an annual revenue of $250 million.
When the bill was passed, Meta announced they would stop sharing Canadian news on Aug. 1 and would be continuing to do when the act came into effect in December.
When the bill was passed, Meta announced they would stop sharing Canadian news on Aug. 1 and would be continuing to do when the act came into effect in December.
The companies have since begun blocking Canadians from viewing news on their platforms. People in Canada can no longer see any Canadian news content on Instagram or Facebook, including the Silhouette’s content.
Additionally, people in Canada can also no longer see any news content from any international news outlets, such as the New York Times or BBC News.
As October begins, it has now been three months since the Meta's ban has impacted Canadian's abilities to view news through social media platforms.
The government is in talks with Meta and Google with the goal of coming an agreement some time in the coming months.
This is an ongoing story.
Spreading awareness about issues is important, but trying to educate individuals who don’t want to be is a fool’s errand
You know you’re right. They know you’re right. You know that they know you’re right. Yet, the argument continues, leaving you irritated, frustrated and in need of three more drinks than you did before.
We all know that social media is revolutionizing how we think about, relate to and engage in social justice and activism. This is a good thing, for the most part.
We all know that social media is revolutionizing how we think about, relate to and engage in social justice and activism. This is a good thing, for the most part.
Information is so easily accessible that ignorance is no longer considered a valid excuse for what society deems moral repugnancy.
If we’re starting to have this increase in social justice awareness, then surely there’s a parallel increase in arguments and debates surrounding these topics.
We live in a societal culture where our thoughts are very clearly segregated into popular and unpopular beliefs. The popular ones are likely those you see being promoted on social media and thanks to years of advocacy, are usually morally correct (in accordance to basic rights and freedoms).
This would mean that in regards to social justice, unpopular opinions are thoughts that contradict what is morally right. So what do we do? We condemn these individuals. After that, we consider playing the advocate.
Now you’ve entered dangerous territory. This could be a wonderful opportunity for an enlightening discussion or your one-way ticket into argumentative hell. Once again, you’re left angry, drained and defeated in your abilities as an activist. You had to have done something wrong, right?
Not necessarily.
When someone enters an argument with no intention of losing, every attempt to change their views only functions to further solidify their intolerance for new ideas.
When someone enters an argument with no intention of losing, every attempt to change their views only functions to further solidify their intolerance for new ideas.
You may have concrete facts and statistics to back up your point but that doesn’t matter. They seem to react to arguments in a way that continues to consolidate their own stance.
In other words, some people argue for the sake of arguing. You may have seen this through in-person interactions around campus or, more commonly, through comment sections on social media. Researchers have found that this is done quite often as a tool to provoke others into an angry response. People who do this may have a subconscious need for power, which is linked to high testosterone levels (shocker).
So why do we keep trying to fill the role as an advocate? Like I mentioned earlier, social media is a major catalyst for spreading information and raising awareness on issues, so it only seems fitting that we do the same through our everyday interactions.
It’s definitely the right idea, but perhaps the wrong execution.
Being careful about who you choose to share your insights with is just as important as putting in the effort to share them.
Let’s circle back to that one-way ticket. Despite your good-willed intentions to offer education, not everyone is willing to give up their seat. Some just enjoy watching the plane go down. Whether they even genuinely liked their seat in the first place is another question.
However, this doesn’t mean that you should give up in your intentions for social justice awareness and education. Sharing your thoughts with open-minded individuals can invoke meaningful and civil conversations where both parties can better understand the stance of the other.
If you find that it's not the case, simply direct the individual to resources they can look into if they’re interested. That’s it. Engaging in arguments with such individuals will not only fail to achieve what you’re after but give into their desire for entertainment through argumentation.
I’m open to discussions if you’d like to change my mind.
Loving yourself and your body is one of the first step to a steady relationship with your partner
Everyone says love is beyond your looks. But this is often easier said than done for many of us who struggle with our body image, particularly in a world of social media.
Body image tends to be connected to self-worth. Being in relationships often causes us to feel vulnerable and self-conscious about our bodies. In some cases, it prevents people from seeking out relationships as they tend to magnify the difficulties and insecurities they may have.
“You can’t love someone else until you love yourself first,” is a common saying we have heard many times — but is this true? This study from 2016 concluded people who were happier with their body tend to have better romantic relationships compared to those who were dissatisfied. Individuals who struggled with their body image reported having more anxious and fearful attachment styles. Overall, though, of the 12,176 participants in the study, only 24 per cent of men and 20 per cent of women reported being satisfied with their appearance.
Katie McCrindle is a registered social worker, body liberation counsellor and activist who works with women and non-binary folks to improve their relationship with themselves. She aspires to create a world where people of all sizes are confident and are in a place of self-acceptance.
“If they're not feeling worthy, or good, then they start to doubt the relationship,” explained McCrindle.
Once they start to become unconfident, their thoughts can spiral down a rabbit hole as it causes them to feel displeased about their bodies and themselves in general. This is especially prominent during intimate moments when people are especially vulnerable and exposed.
“Especially when people are contemplating having sex, I think that is a huge part that impacts body image and how you feel about yourself [by] being in that vulnerable position. It's vulnerable to being naked in front of somebody,” said McCrindle.
“Especially when people are contemplating having sex, I think that is a huge part that impacts body image and how you feel about yourself [by] being in that vulnerable position. It's vulnerable to being naked in front of somebody.”
Katie McCrindle, registered social worker
Having low self-confidence in their appearance can make people more anxious in their relationship and fear that their partner will leave them. The main reason for this may be due to societal pressures and social media.
On social media, the “ideal” woman is curvy with full lips, perfect skin, white teeth and tanned skin. For men, the “ideal” is to have abs, broad shoulders, be over 6 feet and have defined muscles. Realistically, only very few individuals can check off all of these — and that is okay.
Body positivity is important because not only will it improve everyone’s self-confidence, but it will also strengthen everyone’s relationships, whether they are romantic or not. In short, body positivity is accepting all bodies, no matter their race, size, gender or anything else.
“I usually start with body image. [I help] people to learn more self-compassion for those kinds of thoughts and feelings about [their] body because it's pretty normal to have difficult emotions about one's body,” said McCrindle.
“I usually start with body image. [I help] people to learn more self-compassion for those kinds of thoughts and feelings about [their] body because it's pretty normal to have difficult emotions about one's body.”
Katie McCrindle, registered social worker
It is okay if you can’t love everything about yourself. It takes time and patience, but it is important to remember that you will always be there for yourself.
The increasing popularity of book culture can be attributed to the newfound exploration of cultural industries via social media
Although the pandemic is over, its influence on our society has left lasting impacts, including the popularization of niche interests.
In this way, book culture could be classified as another victim of massification. The #booktok trend developed this niche interest into another pillar of the cultural industry due to the hype of this trend.
The cultural industry has taken over book culture through an exponential interest in this hobby due to its virality on TikTok. The massification of book culture began with the creation of #booktok, invented by Kate Wilson.
It is fantastic to see so many individuals discover their love for reading. Yet, this is only because society reads the most trending books to partake in this trend. #booktok is a great way to promote authors. However, due to its virality component, social media and capitalist industries only promote similar storylines.
Kate created a TikTok with a few of her favorite quotes pulled from books she had read. This video fostered a safe space within this social platform for book culture to thrive in the digital era.
After two years of Kate Wilson creating #booktok, this trend became heavily popularized. In my perspective, others outside the book community chose to partake in #booktok due to hype mentality. These individuals began to read books they observed trending and reproduced similar TikTok's to fit in with the current book culture.
As a materialistic society, it's no surprise that large book corporations such as Indigo viewed #booktok as a perfect marketing strategy to capitalize off book culture.
Indigo, Canada's largest book retailer, jumped on this trend by creating a virtual Indigo X TikTok Book Club. This company also curated a section within their store dedicated to books "Now Trending on #booktok.
The #booktok trend created a new market appealing to a mass culture of individuals interested in reading trending books.
As a result, social media has become a prime gateway for companies to capitalize on the book culture. Through TikTok, society has allowed corporations to capitalize on this cultural industry via supply and demand.
Colleen Hoover, for example, is an individual who gained popularity through the promotion of the publishing industry through #booktok. This author has become one of America's best-selling authors despite releasing her most famous novels over a decade ago.
Her newfound success can be attributed to the massification of book culture via the #booktok trend and the capitalization of the popularity.
With all this in mind, can we escape the book culture industry? Mass culture, capitalism, and the overarching capitalist sectors have captured society in a web of trend followers.
Although I am a massive supporter of the book community and its authors, I do not support the massification of this culture since advertised books are only trending.
It is disappointing to see book culture falling victim to social media's influence. Think about the numerous books out there that could be trending but are not due to hype mentality.
As a result, social media has become a prime gateway for companies to capitalize on the book culture. Through TikTok, society has allowed corporations to capitalize on this cultural industry via supply and demand.
It is fantastic to see so many individuals discover their love for reading. Yet, this is only because society reads the most trending books to partake in this trend. #booktok is a great way to promote authors. However, due to its virality component, social media and capitalist industries only promote similar storylines.
The #booktok trend is a great way to begin your time within the book community since you are able to connect to a plethora of individuals. However, the recommendations that arise from this trend should not be the only books you read.
This trend tends to popularize books of the same author and genre which hinders the exploration for authors of color, varying genres and usually pushes Western perspectives. I encourage you to research books outside of this trend and give them a read.
You would be surprised with what you may find, and most importantly you will be hindering the power capitalist industries and social media hold over us.
Navigating the blurred line between politics and peers, and why it’s important to know where you stand
PHOTO C/O: Alex Motoc, Unsplash
Friends and social media can shape your political orientation and ideologies. From a tweet shared by your favourite celebrity to a comment made by a close friend, several studies show that you may begin to question, and possibly even alter, your political stances in agreement with those around you.
The power of social influence is not a new revelation. For decades, psychologists have noted the ability of social groups to modify and impact individual behaviours and opinions. This phenomenon occurs as a means of meeting individual needs of acceptance and belonging through conformity in society.
The power of social influence is not a new revelation. For decades, psychologists have noted the ability of social groups to modify and impact individual behaviours and opinions. This phenomenon occurs as a means of meeting individual needs of acceptance and belonging through conformity in society.
On a smaller scale, the power of social influence can prompt you to follow basic etiquette in public. However, on a much greater scale, the people around you can affect your political views, causing you to take an ill-informed political stance before casting your ballot. As a result, without adequate information, you may end up siding with a political party or candidate that does not truly represent your beliefs and values.
Research is singlehandedly the most valuable strategy to combat and mitigate the power of social influence. Exploring each political candidate and their platform can help you solidify your political views to make a well-informed decision.
While it may not be completely obvious at first glance, there are certainly damaging ramifications of inadequate knowledge when it comes to politics and voting. A lack of political understanding diminishes the value of having democracy and leads to an inaccurate reflection of the public’s true wishes through government policies and action.
While it may not be completely obvious at first glance, there are certainly damaging ramifications of inadequate knowledge when it comes to politics and voting. A lack of political understanding diminishes the value of having democracy and leads to an inaccurate reflection of the public’s true wishes through government policies and action.
Take Paul Fromm as an example of the rash consequences that could result if ballots are cast with such blissful ignorance. Currently running in Hamilton’s nearing municipal election, he is a white supremacist and neo-Nazi that spearheads several organizations with deplorable objectives.
The stark and concerning reality is that there are very few eligibility criteria to run for a municipal election in Ontario. As such, it becomes the sole responsibility of us citizens to support and cautiously grant power to candidates whose visions and values align with our own.
So, whether you are preparing to vote at the next municipal election or an upcoming MSU election, beware of social influence and try to implement necessary measures to make your vote your own. Though the prospect may seem daunting, you are not required to vote for your friend or someone they support at an election. Only your opinions and ideas about a candidate’s qualifications and plans should matter when you check off the circle on your ballot.
It is also important to remember that along with your right to vote in Canada, maintaining the secrecy of your ballot is also a right that no one may infringe. While there is no harm in engaging in healthy political discourse, you should never feel compelled to share your political views with anyone, especially if it makes you feel uncomfortable.
As students receiving post-secondary education in a democratic nation, we ought to recognize our privilege and use it to effect positive change in our communities. Staying aware of how our friends and exposure to political views on social media can influence our stances, as well as doing our research, is vital to ensure we are truly making an impact with our votes.