Literature Review

The growing division between the American people is vital to understand because in a time like this, against an invisible, apolitical enemy, we should be united or at least on the same page in order to stop the spread and protect the general welfare of our fellow americans. The reason I have chosen to analyze the youtube comments section in particular for my data is that it is, for the majority of commenters, a far less personal form of social media than other alternatives such as facebook, instagram, and twitter,  and it is easy to put out comments under a veil of anonymity that allows for the user to say whatever they want, in an unfiltered way. Certainty across other platforms, you have a choice to do and say as you please, but on a Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, there is more pressure to actually post your personal business, you face, your friends, occupation, acquaintances, and there is often more immediate repercussions socially for your actions if you post ignorantly on these more personal forms of social media.

I believe that through my analysis of the wild west that is the youtube comment section, we can illustrate the lack of consensus by the American people, influenced by partisanship, class privilege, and ignorance that is reinforced by a poor education system, a paranoia surrounding the media, and a naivete that allows for the rise and influence of Cult-Of personality figures such as Donald Trump.

I believe that my analysis is of utmost importance because of just how pressing of a matter COVID-19 is. One would hope that, given such a major crisis, that is inescapable, affecting each and every American, that the people would discover a sense of camaraderie and unity akin to that of World War 2 patriotism, banding together (metaphorically, not physically) to smartly combat the ever present threat of infection, right? 

The diversity in perspective of Americans is (ideally) the cornerstone of  the democratic system, and should be protected and maintained. The concept of conflicting ideas keeping each other in check was fundamental to American democracy since the nation's conception, however, the extent to which our divisions have grown are extreme, and it has led to the direction of our nation and will of our people seeming confused and lost. The lack of consensus about anything is hurting the U.S. and weighing us down in our fights against whatever challenges are thrown upon us as a nation.

As we have seen at this point, many Americans' priorities lay in radically different areas. We have massive crowds of conservatives shouting “USA” at government buildings, as if the virus has a nefarious leftist political agenda, and it was intentionally created to strip us of our rights and privilege. There are many who have strictly followed “social distancing” procedures out of fear and concern for their fellow citizens who have to deal with the potential consequences of their peers' lack of responsibility.

On this date of March, Friday the 13th, we were all poorly informed and anxious about this unknown new virus, unaware of just how far it would spread, and how much all of our lives would be changed.