Social Media through Hegel's Lookingglass

 For the third and final Action Project of the junior Humanities course "A Nation's Argument" we are applying what we have learned from Unit 3, which focuses on synthesis and the 1960s. We discussed the 1960s and how it synthesizes the 1770s and the 1850s as far as the fight for civil rights in America. We met with UIC Professor in Black Studies and Sociology,  Andy Clarno at UIC's Latino Cultural Center where we discussed the fight for Civil Rights both then and now. Prior to visiting we researched his work in policing and Israel/Palestine. We learned about Chicago's gang database along with many other topics, and had the opportunity to discuss it with him. We also learned about UIC's history and how the LCC came to be. Our final assignment was to create a slideshow about a dialectic of our choice, and I chose to look at the way social media users have presented themselves over the past two decades. You can check it out below. 

This presentation, while brief, was extremely engaging to work on. My mom was a mommy blogger for much of my youth and pivoted to Instagram influencing around 2015. I've watched both the shift in the way she presents herself online and the way online personas have collectively shifted over the past ten or so years. I liked having the opportunity to research these trends and see how they match with my anecdotal experience. One of the important things about a Hegelian view of history is the fact that it never stops. The synthesis becomes the thesis and the cycle continues. It will be interesting to see how this cycle continues.