FEATURE:
Electric Dreams
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Hopes for a Kinder and More Together 2021
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I wrote a similar feature…
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last year that asked for similar understanding. 2019 was quite fraught and divided in a lot of ways and, between online abuse and inequality through the music industry, it seemed like this year could have been one where everything changed. Not that it would have been instant but, having gone through a tough year, I think a lot of us wanted a more equal and kinder world. In terms of the worst offence and sense of polarisations, social media was a major culprit! One reason why I am writing this now is because I am looking through comment sections regarding live reviews and certain artists. Not only is there negativity on there, but there is sexism, insulting language and a lot of people being very dismissive. Everyone is entitled to like or dislike music or something about the industry but, more and more, the Internet is becoming something fetid and divisive – rather than people actually being nice or constructive. I know it may seem naïve and implausible for the world to change suddenly. That is not what I am suggesting. There will never be an Internet and social media filled with kindness and a complete lack of toxicity – and there never will be. After such a tough and challenging year for every single person, there is an improvement in terms of progress within the music industry, but there has not really been much of a shift regarding how we treat one another on social media. Not only do I think that there has been some truly amazing music put out, but I feel there have been genuine steps forward in terms of equality and making the industry a more inclusive and accepting place.
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That has to continue into 2021 and, when things start to return to normal, festivals and live gigs will be in full swing. Let’s hope that the calls for gender and racial equality lead to more equal bills and greater opportunities for those who, until now, have had to fight too hard. I think everyone wants to blow off steam at the moment as it is very stressful and we have all had to live a more restricted and different life for almost a year. Things will not get back to how they were within a couple of months, so it will take patience from people. I guess my main concern relates to social media and how this year, as much as last year, there has been a lot of needless vitriol and inflammatory language thrown around. Reading a couple of reviews/features on a music website and I am reading a lot of offensive language and people being callous. Not only does it seem ever-more pointless and troublesome that people have to post stuff like this but, if the artists in question were to read those comments, it creates a sense of upset and psychological damage that did not need to be inflected. Sexism, especially, still seems so rife throughout social media and on music/media website boards - and next year needs to be one where there is far less of this happening.
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I think 2020 has been especially strange and tough for musicians, so any additional pressure and strain seems heartbreaking. I know that there is still going to be a lot of crap posted online and so many people through the industry will battle negativity, trolls and toxicity. I think, as I said, we have made strides this year and a lot of good has come from a very bad time, but I cannot fathom why there is still so much bile and cruelty. Perhaps I am butting against a brick wall and attempting to solve a problem that will always exist, but we are going to emerge into 2021 with things to look forward to. Not only will a lot of the music industry open back up, but our lives will improve significantly. It is not really just social media and Internet forums/comments sections that have caught my eye. In general, I think too many in music are reporting a deterioration in their mental-health because of the way they have been spoken to or discussed online. It is a classic case of if someone does not have anything nice to say then they shouldn’t! Again, I know we will not see a reversal, but it would be encouraging if those who go after artists or have nothing positive to offer reflect on the year that has passed and realise how their words will harm someone – and that they have had just as painful a 2020 as them. At the very least, perhaps those that do not normally engage in such toxicity should, if they are thinking of posting something negative, think harder about the reasons why and change their course. We have all been through so much this year and, at our darkest times, music has come to the rescue and provided us with so much comfort and distraction. In 2021, as a way of repaying that and creating a kinder space, I think we should all…
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TREAT those in music more fairly and with greater grace.