Accountable essay

December, 19, 2024

Accountable essay

In the book Accountable written by Dashka Slater the book shows a series of events that include the wrongful use of social media, and the consequences that many face for not thinking twice about the hate they may begin to spread. Although social media can be useful in situations like communicating with others and interacting with nice posts, it's also a way in which many of the time hate, racism and bringing people down goes on without being taken seriously, with most of the time damaging effects on a person's life. When using social media wrongfully it can lead to consequences for the harmer who's saying these things and damaging effects for the harmred when continuing on with their lives.

Social media can have many benefits when it comes to communicating with others. A student opened a private instagram account which was later on discovered by many more students. Due to the mocking post and racism within them it started to circulate very quickly. “A photo of Andrea paired with a photo of a gorilla” (30). The photo of Andrea paired with a picture of a gorilla demonstrates the racism that began to spread due to the wrongful use of social media by Charles. Others began to find out about the account due to it being shown to them, which was through other people that saw the account, such as Murphy. Murphy explained the pictures to the girls and explained what they meant thinking that the girls wouldn't have a problem with it when in reality it was very affecting to them. “An Asian girl, paired with pictures of Jabba the Hutt and cottage cheese as a way of saying she was fat” (Slater, pg 30). The photo of the asian girl is another example of how Charles used social media to spread hate and racism. Within the book accountable racism is shown to be exacerbated through social media. When Charles, a student from Albany High School who was the one to start and create the instagram account, many other students began to interact with the racist post.

With the instagram account started at albany high school and the rapid growth within the account, the racist and mocking posts were spread to students quickly due to it being on social media and how quickly people can spread things from it just being on there. Due to the spread on social media the girls at Albany highschool banded together to do something about the account. “News of the account had spread like wildfire among the Black girls and their close friends, and now several more people came to join them” (54). With the spread of the account many girls began to gather up to do something about the account because they know that it's not okay for boys to be making those mocking and racist posts, just because they seem funny to them. “Kerry remembers seeing her tear up in English class. They don't like me, she’d said they don't like me because I'm Black” (55). The account began being interacted by other students and many of the girls that got made fun of noticed what was being said about them and started to show emotions due to the post. The power of social media and the effects it can have on people is a lot. With the account that was started, it shows how much it can begin from it seeming like a joke to affecting people.

When social media is wrongfully used it can have a big effect when it comes to taking those responsible for their wrong doings on social media. For Charles it begins to mentally affect him and he begins to realize it a bit too late. This happens when all the harm he has done has been done to the people he mocked on social media all because to him it was a simple joke. “ A few days off from school-that wasn't so terrible. What sucked was knowing that people were talking about you while you were gone, that people were angry at you, that you couldn't explain” (163 ). When charles began to be taken accountable for his actions he realized how much of a toll it had on him and his mental health, knowing that many people don't like him at all because of what he had done and not being able to explain to people why he did what he did because regardless of what he said to justify himself he still looked bad and he knew it. “Being hated by the entire city took a big toll on his mental health. I was severely messed up after that, he says it's like no one really cares because they just think I deserve it” (333). Even though Charles knows that what he did is wrong, being the hammer to others comes with a result of hate from the community especially when many come to find out. Charles feels as if he should not be hated that much by the community just because they think that's what he deserves. Charles using social media wrongfully and creating rude posts and mocking ones about his classmates leads to him being taken accountable. He's taken accountable and suspended and many of his opportunities are taken away and not only that but he's also hated and treated horribly due to the community.

In the book accountable social media is wrongfully used by Charles and is shown to have affected the students that were being mocked at Albany highschool. The wrongful use of social media not only affects the ones being harmed but, the harmers life throughout because they are forever followed by their mistakes and realize it too late. If the events that occurred in accountable were to happen at SRHS honestly I would want SR to take accountability and action to help stop whatever was going on. SRHS can do better by taking the harmers (the ones who make the accounts/spread the hate) accountable for their actions with no excuses or sympathy. This can also be done by taking help from the students that would like to take action as well.