“Alex from Target”: the misguided interests of our social media

Last week, the internet was hit with a new viral sensation, “Alex from Target.” The joke depicts an attractive teenage cashier named Alex bagging groceries at a Texas Target store. Snapped by 15-year-old Brooklyn Reiff, the image took Twitter by storm and was retweeted more than 800,000 times, not mentioning the countless recreations and spin-off jokes. Just when you thought our generation’s sense of humor couldn’t get any more obscure.

Alex’s 15 minutes of fame was not undisputed, as many not only criticized the absurdity of the trend, but also condemned the Twitter crowd for their  invasion of Alex’s privacy and their shameless sexual harassment in their responses to Alex’s appearance. The argument was made that this situation would be polar opposite if it was a guy who took a picture of an attractive girl without her permission and posted it on social media (which I am not going to get into today). When you delve into the nature of this online phenomenon, the implications can be troubling.

Just how does the picture of a pretty-face cashier gain more traction on social media than the issues and situations that will actually impact us? Does this reflect the priorities of today’s youth? One could argue that this is just harmless fun and should not be taken seriously; but the content that reaches viral status on the internet can provide insight into the mindset of our society. When you click the “like” or “retweet” button on a post, sometimes it is not only because you find the content funny, but that you also connect with it on a personal level – you find it relevant to your life. With enough “likes” and “retweets,” content can become viral. The most retweeted post will inevitably become what everyone is talking about. This means that all current viral content is a representation of our interests as a collective.

So does it not strike you as odd that, when you question a typical youth on the street, he/she is more likely to know about “Alex from Target” than James Ward, a homeless Los Angeles teenager who had raised enough money through social media in order to achieve his dream of attending Harvard University; or Lillian Weber, the 99-year-old woman who had made over 800 dresses as donations to girls living in poverty in Africa? Does our society value Alex more than the heroes of our time? You’d most likely answer no, but the the opposite is apparent in everyday life. Economic status will automatically grant you a high social status, regardless of your actions.

While short-term gags like “Alex from Target” are fun, is it not our responsibility to pay attention and acknowledge the effort and achievements of those who take the extra step and contribute to our society daily? Individuals like Lillian or James should be more transparent in the media for their accomplishments, but instead stories like theirs are constantly being drowned out online by famous vines and funny anecdotes. We have to start recognizing what is really important and relevant to our lives. What we make viral should be content that anybody can absorb and benefit from it, and not something that can be of little practical use to us.

As youth, we are the pioneers and the movers of our generation, and we are more influential than ever before, thanks to social media. This means that no matter what we shift our focus to, that issue will garner unprecedented attention. The Arab Spring, for example, is a series of revolutions and protests across the dictatorial and authoritarian governments of the Middle East and North Africa, triggered by none other than the Arab youth. A young man in Tunisia set himself on fire in 2010 as an act of defiance to the regime after they banned him from selling fruits at his stand, which many believe to have sparked the Arab Spring; youth also had a major role in Egypt, in that they made up the predominant populations in the Facebook and Twitter groups that planned and coordinated the protests. We were also able to bring the kidnappings of the Nigerian students to international attention using the Twitter hashtag #bringbackourgirls. From this we can see the extent of our reach, and the power of social media. In the right direction, social media and its predominantly youth users can bring about remarkable change.

So next time you’re on Twitter or Facebook, and you see a hilarious image, like and share to your heart’s content, but maybe also retweet and favorite that story about Cathy Groenendijk, a South Sudanese woman helped to establish the CCC (Confident Children out of Conflict), a shelter for displaced and orphaned Sudanese children where they are provided with safety, security, and education. Help spread positive influence in our society.