As a wave of protests grips Lebanon, an Insta page is helping connect Lebanese protesters with crushes that they’ve seen during the demonstrations. Amid global political unrest, the page is part of a wider movement of people turning to social media to bring a light-hearted moment to turbulent times. We explore the insights behind this and how social media provides light relief in times of difficulty.
The page, which is called @thawracrushes or ‘revolution crushes’ attracted 7,000 followers following its first post, which joked about finding romance in the revolution through the pick-up line ‘give me your number so I can wake you up tomorrow for the protest’. Since then, protesters have been sending in images of crushes that they have met or seen at the demonstrations, in the hope of sparking romance. The page’s followers can then tag the person, if they know who it is. Whilst there are privacy concerns as some people don’t want to be publicly identified at protests, the page’s administrator Alaa Khattab, said she promptly removes unwanted posts.
“My first goal was to break down walls between people. And second, I thought it was just fun…but then it turned viral,” commented the Khattab. Spreading the love has been a key way in which the Lebanese have kept spirits high in spite of political unrest. The Insta page, along with other initiatives such as group meditation and recycling initiatives, have been spreading messages of love, peace and tolerance amid civil disobedience. Diala Shuhaiber, a Kuwaiti photojournalist in Beirut, commented that it is these initiatives that are keeping people going: ‘the countless creative memes, videos, gimmicks that has in fits of laughter and tears is something the whole world has been talking about…. From the beginning, I’ve been calling this the revolution of love because, in my opinion, love always prevails, she said.
From Hong Kong and Paris to Brexit Britain and Beirut, political turbulence has been a constant of 2019 – and it’s taking its toll on people’s mental health. In Hong Kong, mental health is reportedly at its worst level since 2011; meanwhile, in the UK, 64% of Britons feel Brexit is negatively affecting their mental health. Through the sharing of memes and light-hearted content, social media is providing comic and romantic relief that soothes the emotional impact of widespread political unrest. Comedy Central’s satirical library of Trump’s tweets operated on a similar premise, providing a polarised population with humorous relief. News UK’s ‘political jungle’ installation at Westminster station also harnessed the power of laughter to give a refreshing take on UK politics.
Lottie Hanwell is a junior behavioural analyst. She loves travelling, reading novels, cuddling dogs and hosting dinner parties. A graduate of Engish Literature and Spanish, she’s adventured through South and Central America where she developed a taste for Argentine Malbec and dodgy Reggaeton. Now settled back in London, she hopes to translate her fondness of people-watching to her role at Canvas8.
