issue 21 / volume 40

Better social media means better content

» How we can improve the Internet

Cazzy Lewchuk
Staff Writer

QO: of the great things

about social networks
is that they’re Internet
hubs which are fully
customizable for the user:
you get a personalized feed
of entertainment. You can
see pictures of your cousin’s
new baby, learn a friend’s
thoughts on a new movie, or
find out just who’s dating who.
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
Snapchat, and all the other
social networks around excite
the mind.

With that said, it’s
important to post things that
are actually entertaining.
Facebook statuses are not
personal diaries to rant about
what a bad day you're having.
Seeing a friend’s angry updates
about their awful experience
with a phone company
is annoying, depressing,
and pointless. We all have
difficulties with corporations,
school, people, and the
establishment. What does one
accomplish by complaining
about it online?

 

The same goes for sharing

: upsetting news articles. Yes, :
: bad court rulings happen a lot. :
: Yes, people get discriminated
: against. Bad social justice is

: everywhere, and it’s terrible;

: still, sharing a link on

: Facebook about something

: upsetting that happened in

: Texas doesn’t apply to anyone
: here, and there’s nothing we

: can do about it. Even if the

: injustice is local, sharing on

: Facebook usually leads to

: nothing more than one to

: several people complaining.

: If you're seriously upset about
: something happening in the

: community, get involved.Do  :
: something that doesn’t involve :
: being in front of a screen. :
: Complaining does zilch.

Then of course there’s

: the universally hated process
: of subtly complaining, often

: known as “vaguebooking.”

: This is when someone posts

: something passive-aggressive
: and vague, usually very short,
: but obviously angry. It’ll say

: something like “UGH!” or

: “Some people...” Attempts

: to find out what’s wrong in

: comments (please don’t try

: this) either result in the user's
: refusal to talk about it, or

: suggesting that the matter is

be @Oarman24

Pullin’ my own

: private and that you should

: message them. Let me be clear:
: don't vaguebook, and don't

: encourage it, ever. It creates a

: nasty online environment for

: usall.

Then there are the boring

: posts. Not everything needs
: to be posted. Keep your song
: lyrics, descriptions of your

: exact location, and general

: ramblings about how your

: day is going to yourself. We go
: on our social networks to see

: interesting and meaningful

: content. There’s such a thing

: as posting too much, and if

: you don't have anything to say,
: don’t. Start commenting or

: looking at other people’s posts
: more. Hopefully you can find

: something you like—there’s no :
: shortage of posts out there.

Posting solid, meaningful,

opinions // 15

>

 

: uplifting content on social

: networks helps everyone.

: It'll make your posts more

: interesting, and friends and

: followers will actually view

: them. People who read them

: will be more entertained by

: them. You'll probably even feel
: better yourself! Social media

should not bea bathroom

: wall—it should bea stage at a
: talent show.

 

Commercial Drive tagging: art or vandalism?

» ‘No Pipelines’ tag causes distress and hassle

  
  

PF’ julia Siedlanowska
i Staff Writer

Rew there has been

ome anger and criticism
regarding an unknown
individual tagging “No
Pipelines” over a large blue
mural on Commercial Drive.
The scene is no doubt unsightly,
but it also raises questions in
the conversation on the validity
of tagging as a method of self-
expression.

Although graffiti has often
been used as a form of political
protest and a medium for
challenging the establishment,

of artistic quality and integrity
within the form. The discussion
of whether or not the form is
art or vandalism is one that
has been going on since graffiti
entered into the public eye.

“A while ago ‘Anoy’ was
the tagline that we removed
thousands of,” says Jane

the Commercial Drive Business

: Pipeline:

: Society. “And now we've
: removed hundreds of the ‘No

m9

McFadden says she has

: about 10 reports of graffiti

: every week. There are about a
: dozen murals on Commercial
: Drive funded mainly by the

: Commercial Drive Business

: Society and the City of

: Vancouver.

“The city will pay for the

: paint and we'll pay for the artist.
: So about $5,000-10,000 is what

: we end up paying for them just

: depending on what the artist

: charges,” says McFadden.

These murals are expensive,

There is also a common

: suspicion that provocateurs

: from oil companies are the

: culprits. It’s baffling to think of

: the extent corporations will go

: to to sway the public opinion. At

McFadden, executive director of : least this way people could wrap

: their heads around the stupidity :
: of sucha move.

“T think it’s dumb as fuck!”

: says Drive resident Kayleigh

: Hatch. “It’s so disrespectful.

: That’s artwork that somebody’s
: puta lot of energy into.”

Since its origins, tagging

: has been used to mark a gang’s

: territory, although in Vancouver
: itseems more like a hobby. This
: tag, however, isn’t just someone's :
: pseudonym scribbled onto

: a bus stop. It’s an expression

: of a serious opposition to the
: various pipeline expansion

: projects that have been

: : proposed to the government.
: so you know that when someone :
: vandalizes one, more money
: is going into restoration. The
there has always been a standard : vandal is either senseless or
: purposely tagging over someone
: else’s commissioned work (as

: opposed to a blank wall).

This statement sprayed on

: top of acommissioned work

: not only opposes the pipeline

: projects, it also opposes the

: establishment of the many

: businesses commissioning the
: work, and the idea of judging art :
: by its monetary value or public
: recognition.

In a culture where youth are

: almost never in your face about
: issues, I thinka little rebellion is :
: healthy. On one side, the tagging :
: is unsightly. It’s crude and there

is absolutely no artistic merit.

: It’s also a complete waste of

: taxpayer’s money when it’s

: painted over several times. But
: there is something tactful in its
: placement. Although everyone
: who looks at the writing will

: most likely judge the tagger as an :
: idiot, the work of the individual :
: is not going unnoticed.
The Drive could very well set :
: Pipeline proposal generally

: are, they might consider

: environmentally friendly

: mediums such as charcoal, dirt,
: or saps to paint their message.

: They may even consider

: planting their message in moss
: on the wall. But the point of

: such vandalism is to oppose

: and to make their opposition

: permanent.

up a wall dedicated to graffiti,

: as McFadden is suggesting.

: However, this tagger is making
: a point by placing the writing

: where it’s not supposed to be.

: The idea of having a special

: wall for graffiti makes me think
: of the International Olympic

: Committee's ideas for setting

: up specific “protest areas”

: for protesters of the Sochi

: Olympics. Naturally, protesters
: might see this as another form

of control, of oppression.

: But ina community that is
: characterized by unity, arts, and :
: a lower environmental impact,
: I’m not sure this particular

protester is in the right place.

: not traditionally a place where
: people who support the pipeline
: project hang out.

“If youre trying to get a

: message out about a positive
: cause, do it ina positive way and
: have integrity about all things,

not just one cause,” says Hatch.
If the concern of the tagger

: is environmental, as the issues

concerning the Enbridge

At the end of the day, the

: tagger has reached their goal.
: They’ve got us thinking about
: the topic they wanted. Someone

is showing us a reflection of the

: ugliness they see in the world.

: For those of us who see it too

: and are looking for other ways to
The fact is (a) This tag is not art, :
: and (b) Commercial Drive is

deal with it, we’d rather not see a

: pretty mural desecrated.