Social media in itself is the biggest influencer of our generation. We do not have specific idols in our lives that we look up to anymore, we look up to the ideals of social media. Racism, Xenophobia, Anti-Semitism, etc. have all evolved over time and so has social media. What once started out as a form of communication among the students of Harvard University is now Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. The way we portray ourselves on social media and perceive others is as if a new personality has been created all together. Along with that new personality that we have created, perceiving the different aspects of other personalities plays a great role in the way we view racism. When an individual repeatedly sees stories or posts about racism, things can go one of two ways: either they will look out for it more, do more research on their own time and educate themselves OR they will begin hating the mention of the topic, only read half information available and get bored. Obviously at the rate at which we are going, all we can do is hope that our viewers do not take the latter approach. Books and school knowledge can only teach us so much, social media and influence can force us to learn more. It is the highest and most powerful form of peer pressure. When you view the exact same post that has been reposted on all of your mutual stories, you are automatically inclined and curious to see what the nose is all about, when you click on it first you may read the first page, but that first page is better than not reading anything at all. At least you know that something like that exists and needs to be acknowledged. You might not agree with what the post has to say, but at least you viewed someone else’s point of view. If multiple people within your friend group agree with it and you do not, you may feel inclined to find out why they agree with it by either having a conversation with them privately or arguing with someone in the comments section. But at least you are talking about it. At least the first initial social barrier is broken. I have used the word “At least” repeatedly because it is the bare minimum. Only if we start talking about these issues will we be able to do anything about them. We talk about politics, xenophobia, online hate, online love, why not make an influential impact with racism. I will not say “Why not” anymore because it is what we are doing, others are doing it to us on a daily basis and we do it to others even more often. The only difference is what we choose to advocate for. So lets take a stand and actually make it worth everyone’s while. So, ask me again how social media affects racism. It serves its greatest and most underrated purpose of all: Education. The purpose we could not fulfill outside of the two by four-inch screen we can fulfill within it. We can change the world by using the tips of our fingers. It is the most powerful weapon.