The Rise Of Popularism

A Consequence Determines An Action. Shazi. :)  

As I close my eyes and drift away to a land where there is love, joy, peace, and blessings. I wanted to take the time to think and reflect.

The truth is that I have been debating with myself for much time, if I should write these words, and finally the urgency to write them was demanded. As any creative person knows, if we don't channel the creative urge into a positive outlet, ultimately it becomes destructive. 

I was thinking about the idea of popularism. What is popularism? A quick wiki search revealed the following results:  Popularism. Noun. (uncountable) Any political doctrine chosen to appeal to a majority of the electorate. Is popularism good or is it bad? Popularism can be connected to writing, sharing content on a mass scale, or any forms of media that are channeled for public viewing. The content can be very beneficial when it is assumed to be a force for the social good. 

Example: My children have decided they will be going Gluten - Free completely. This posed a problem for me because obviously it is about re-learning, finding recipe's that can cater to their needs. So I decided to go on You Tube to learn some new recipes. And my results were great. You Tube video's are great for sharing information, or part of learning. As educator's we often talk about the negative implications of technologies in the classroom, but forget that we also use it. I think that the educators concerns stem through the fact that there is a plethora of content that is widely available. We want our students to be careful about what they are viewing. The brain, the child's and the teenage brain, is like a sponge. It will soak up anything. What is put in, is what is put out. 

As educators we can use these technologies for the purposes of learning and sharing, but we also want to make students aware of contents that will have a negative impact. However, we cannot control what students do, when they are surfing the internet by themselves. Sometimes we have to let go to allow students / children to have an experience to decide for themselves.

Whilst many may think that my ideas seem old - fashioned, or traditional, but I am thinking especially about the idea of Popularism. It is evident that when there is a rise in the social there will be more demands that are placed upon the political. We have to be very careful about this idea, because it will impact social molding, and how we forecast the futures of societal progressions. Individuals who have a large following, likes, or shares are buying these numbers, This is a mechanism to create a status, influence, and the growth of popularity. When a student / child sees these numbers it is automatic that they will be intrigued to investigate the content. These words are not written to attack the tool of technologies, or criticize, they are written to create an awareness of the influences.   

Dedication: The words of this being are dedicated to all beings, my thoughts to share with love & kindness! :) 

Notes: These thoughts were originally hand written on February 24th, 2017
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