Sticking it to the Man

By Marina Douglas

It’s 2001. I'm sitting cross-legged on the floor with my fellow Joey Scouts, while a kindly older woman hands me what she dubs a “talking stick.” It’s really just an old clap stick with bits of feather and sequins stuck to it, but the point is, she explains, to take turns speaking with it so that everyone feels included. My turn with the talking stick inevitably involves a terrible joke, but as promised, the ability to tell and be heard makes me feel well included within this ragtag group of children.

There are virtual talking sticks as well, and while not physically embellished they give immense power to those who hold them. On Facebook, they give power to celebrities, comedians, politicians, and basically anyone who consistently makes posts seen as relatable or entertaining. Facebook’s “trending” feature frequently gives a talking stick to those who've made news in pop culture around the world, such as Kanye West with his recent VMAs speech. Facebook “friends” assist in giving power and social inclusion to certain people, by endorsing this and that through likes, comments and shares (McNeill, 2012).

Image from: theluxuryspot.com facesoffacebook.jpg

Memes play a large part in success on Facebook, and can even be a major source of power for some such as Sweet Brown with her use of the phrase “Ain't nobody got time for that” (Van Luyn, 2015). So many of the memes, posts, and ideas pertaining to distinct groups (such as gamers, young teens, Latinos, the elderly and the extremely wealthy/poor) are popular with people from other cultural groups, and this is one of the ways in which the virtual talking stick is most effective. It creates communication between diverse and differing groups of people that may not otherwise be achieved. With all this power being distributed, however, we have to ask who misses out on their turn at empowerment. Who gets hit with the pointy end of the (talking) stick?

References

McNeill, L. (2012). There is no “I” in network: Social networking sites and posthuman auto/biography. Biography, 35(1), 65-82. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au

Trending: Kanye West: Artist says he will run for president in 2020 in acceptance speech at VMAs. (2015). Retrieved from facebook.com

Van Luyn, A. (2015). BA1002: Our Space: Networks, narratives, and the making of place. Networked Narratives: Intertextuality. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au

Image Credits

Eynon, C. (2011). Faces of Facebook. Retrieved from theluxuryspot.comfacesoffacebook.jpg