Social Media/Technology and the Real World

In Black Mirror’s The Waldo Movement, we find how powerful technology, social media, and popularity can have such a big impact on important matters such as politics. The show starts out with people talking about controversial pornographic Twitter pictures of a politician named Gladwell that had also done some inappropriate things to a fifteen year old girl. (This immediately made me thinking about Donald Trump.) 

Waldo, a blue cartoon bear, gains popularity by being crude and calling politicians out. The show that features Waldo brings on a politician named Liam Monroe, who is running for a member of parliament; and they make fun of him. The episode was a success, so they decided to continue to criticize Monroe in the streets with a van that displays Waldo. The public loves it; they take videos and post it on social media. As more people see it, Waldo gains so much popularity that he is a candidate for member of parliament. It is crazy to believe that a cartoon could gain such popular demand because of technology and just because he is funny and calls people out. While there were people of all ages that were entertained by Waldo, the young people have the greatest interest in Waldo. They were probably the ones that voted for Waldo, which is bad because sometimes young people don’t think about the consequences of voting for a joke. Personally, I don't like that a crude bear that was just meant for fun could have that much power that people actually voted for him. This reminds me of Trump. 

Trump and Waldo are both celebrities. I feel like Trump ran at first just to see if he could be president as a joke, but he gained so much popularity that he actually became one of the last two presidential candidates. I don't think young people in America voted for Trump as much as they did for Waldo in the show. 

Personally, I thought that Trump was not a real threat when he first decided to run for presidency. Now that he is actually president-elect, I am very worried for our country. Many minorities are being harassed because of our new president and what he represents. The claims that he makes about “building a wall” and deporting immigrants give many people to voice how they actually feel. As a minority, I am afraid that I might get harassed, but I know that I have many people who are behind or with me. I know that I am not alone, and we have to stick together.