"China and North Korea have their own social media apps but they are a form of monarchy and other countries do not know what is happening there" ❤️

The Great DEBATE | A REPORT

DATE: 15. 12. 2025

By Ms. Nivedhaa, II MA English

TOPIC: Is social media a form of colonial power or not?

Shobana kickstarted the debate from the opposition team, stating in this age of Globalization, social media creates interpersonal relationships and it builds connection.

Anagha kept a point from the affirmative team that Countries like China uses their own social media applications whereas most of the social media apps that the Indian public use is owned by the west shows how social media is a form of colonial power.

Lindsay countered it by pointing out that social media is under National and local laws, that is why Tik Tok is banned in India.

Sankari added to Anagha’s point saying it does not only control us physically but ideological colonization also happens, it infiltrates into our mental process.

Lindsay gave her views on how it should be seen as an Anti-colonial power, as many social media influencers use their own native language.

Safa talked about social media being Euro-centric which promotes beauty standards like fairness, slim and picture perfect. 

Alphy gave an apt reply saying that social media has in fact become a platform for marginalized voices, it garners mutual support. 

Lindsay added that Body positivity as a concept only emerged because of social media and focused on how the understanding of social media should change.

Catherin raised a need to re-define the boundary of colonialism as it is not only limited to geography or polity, it is about the colonialization of our mind, the very act of censorship is colonialism, it controls what we see.

Lindsay reflected on how social media enables everybody to know what is happening in and around the world. For example, The Tamil influencers become a symbol of decolonialization as they make their culture reach to the global level. It facilitates communication between Diaspora.

Sankari stated that colonialism is a form of imperialism and social media makes people imperialized in mental landscape and she gave an example of the 8-step skincare routine which has become so popular that people have unknowingly started to follow it.

Sabari gave a rebuttal to Anagha’s initial point that China and North Korea have their own social media apps but they are a form of monarchy and other countries do not know what is happening there. He emphasized on social media as a platform to show talents without investment of much money and time, it becomes a space where promoters are celebrated. He shared his own experience of gaining more that 20K views on his post about Diary-writing.

Anagha raised a question about invasion of freedom, that do people still feel free when universities scrutinize their social media accounts to hire for a particular post, it is as if Big Brother is always watching you.

Lara gave response to Sankari’s 8-step Korean skin care, she proved that such skin care getting popular among the nations is also decolonialization only as Eastern Aesthetics are being promoted, people are getting to know about Korea.

Rajshree shifted the focus to another colonializing aspect of social media, where people exaggerate about their life to fit in. On the other hand, Village ecosystem is completely ignored.

Ann countered Anagha’s point these social media profiles become a site for act of judgement and sometimes good judgement is required, focusing on Rajshree’s view about villages being ignored, she said there are multiple channels that promote native cooking. During pandemic, nobody could go out and buy pizza and burger, people had to use their native ways to cook.

Sankari gave an interesting comparison, like how English is writing back, social media is talking back, but it still remains a form of imperialism.

Lindsay replied that social media is being looked from a single-sided and one-dimensional view, that is the colonial view. It offers a vast stage where culture mingles.

Catherin put forth an argument that social media does not limit itself in the geographical or social boundaries whereas it has taken the form of neo-colonialism, which takes control of our mind.

Lindsay again emphasized that seeing social media as a form of neocolonialism negates the idea that it can be looked from an anti-colonialist view. It trivializes the concept of Neocolonialism only.

Safa raised a point about the psychological impact of social media on teens, she said it creates FOMO (fear of missing out), anxiety due to the algorithm pressure that it creates.

Zibiah gave a brilliant counter that youth is not missing out, rather they are creating a space of their own. It is a medium to voice out and empower. She quoted the example of Reda Fathima who has built a house of her own at such a young age.

Safa refuted by asking about the struggling creators, how will they get the limelight. She also talked about how Australia has banned the usage of social media for kids below 8 years old.

Sankari also stressed that we are not only colonized by the west but significantly by the capitalists who uses social media as a tool to turn the society into attention economy.

Alphy gave an apt reply saying it is voluntary, it is not mandatory to give your attention to social media, it depends on the individuals.

Rajshree again talked about how the act of putting English subtitles for native language videos is promoting colonialism.

Ann countered it by saying that putting subtitles rather promote inclusive mentality as the native video will reach to a larger public. It helps the marginalized communities to come into limelight.

Sankari politely disagreed to Alphy’s point about attention being voluntary, she said because it is participatory, people would want to participate and it eventually becomes a regular part of their lives.

Lara talked about the amazing gift that has been bestowed upon humans, the choice to choose. She listed out multiple ways, like digital detox to stay away from social media. Nobody is forced to use it, therefore social media does not colonialize our time, it is us who allows it to do it.

Amy took back to old ages where our ancestors used to update themselves through books, so why cannot we do it now?

Lindsay said that world is not a utopia, decolonialization cannot be thrown away, it has multiple layers which are to be studied in detail.

Catherin concluded the debate with a powerful point that we only have the feel that we have the power to choose, but the reality is – we do not have the power over structures, Decolonialization is an illusion. She added that it is not like what is studied in the Postcolonial classes, that is the east versus the west, rather it is too subtle and scarier. We live in a world where freedom is shown to be existent but in reality, it does not exist.

In conclusion, Both the teams gave equal contribution and put forth valid points to defend themselves. They used live experiences and examples to substantiate their arguments.

Teacher’s Remarks: We had a very spirited, exciting and healthy debate, which saw enthusiastic participation from both sides.

Ms. Sivasankari was elected Leader of Team A – Social Media IS a form of Colonial Power, and Ms. Alphy was elected Leader of Team B – Social Media IS NOT a form of colonial Power. Both did their roles to perfection.

Ms. Terese Maria Broosily was our effective Time Keeper, and Ms. Vasupradhaa was the official photographer.