Social media: vulgarity and obscenity

Kabir Vega Castellanos

HAVANA TIMES — I have already written quite a bit about this subject, and I make up a part of those who have tried to deal with it.

However, today I want to tell you about the impressions I have had during my time using the SNET network (an independent network which was spontaneously created and is trying to replace the Internet, it connects hundreds of homes and you can play, chat and share all kinds of information online). This article will also include my impressions of what people download from the Internet, be it by friends or youtube videos.

On these international social media sites, like Facebook, or Cuban forums which exist on the network, where people of all ages can register, there is something very clear about the terms of use and that is the outright ban on uploading pornographic or perverted images but that doesn’t mean that decency is kept on these sites. The line which defines what we consider to be “proper, ethical or moral” is becoming more and more faint.

Countless posts and memes (pictures of anything with a comment on any subject which adds a touch of humor) are constantly being published, free for any user to see. Some of these are OK, they are well-made and quite funny because they joke about a political or social situation or even just a simple everyday situation.

However, there are others which scratch the limits of the obscene. These include photos of a taunting nature which ridicule poorly-dressed people, in an embarassing situation, with unattractive physiques or even ordinary photos which are made into a derogatory montage. There are also posts and surveys with photos, of actors or anonymous citizens in grotesque sexual poses.

Lastly, I want to mention the nonsense of “getting more likes” which aren’t unpleasant to the eye, although they are quite childish. Posts like:

“Click like if you’re a Messi fan”

“Click like if you hate Justin Bieber”

“Click like if you’re single”

Sadly, these kinds of things are the most popular and which catch fire and become viral on the network. Therefore, when something about a serious issue is posted, it’s ignored, especially if this encourages a debate or people to think a bit about what they will put in their comment.

Vulgarity is being promoted without signs of stopping; we could even almost say that it is replacing creative or intelligent ideas. Everything is gaining a malicious, cruel tone, not only in depth but in decency too. Although these are just social exchanges on a screen, there’s no need to prove the social influence all of this triviality has had.

I frequently remember an old phrase which people say here from time to time if the situation calls for it: “Today’s youth are lost”. My grandparents said it about my parents’ generation, and they say it about mine.

How far will things stoop for my generation to say it to the next?