It feels as if the media always likes to highlight speculation—sports predictions, album speculations, political outcomes—you name it. Now that social media has firmly entered the fold, it’s pretty much gotten out of hand. The rise of fast, online media has negatively impacted a number of celebrities in recent years. How could we forget Britney Spears’ breakdown in the late 2000s (and the media treating her as if she was crazy), or Kanye West’s recent breakdown and the subsequent social media response. Once again, another celebrity has been feeling the impact: Megan Thee Stallion.
Before going on, here’s why I want to broach the subject.
Sometime during mid-July, Megan Thee Stallion was out at a function and got shot in the foot. If you recall, Tory Lanez was at the same function and ended up getting charged with gun possession. How did that happen? Well, he was pulled over—on the suspicion of having a gun in the car—while Megan was in the passenger seat. Once media outlets found out, people on social media were quick to start coming up with their own stories. Some people said that she was shot by Lanez for getting into an altercation, while others made up outrageous claims about her gender; everyone was trying to piece together what led up to the shooting without having any hard facts behind their claims.
While some may believe assumptions lead to facts, this is not always the case. For starters, there are people employed by credible media companies who are more equipped to figure out the situation, and—even then—that does not always give them the authority to run a story. If writers don’t have the facts behind a situation, they cannot run a story; if they can’t, what makes people on social media any better?
The problem with people making assumptions on social media is that when a story gains traction, most will believe it—no matter if it is true or not. This significantly impacts the artist’s the mental health, and Megan Thee Stallion is no different. In an Instagram Live, Megan Thee Stallion spoke on the situation. During the Instagram Live, she told fans: “I was shot in both of my feet, and I had to get surgery to get the bullets taken out, and it was super scary.” As she held back tears, she continued to say: “It was just the worst experience of my life and it’s not funny, it’s nothing to joke about and nothing for y’all to go and be making fake stories about. I didn’t put my hands on nobody I didn’t deserve to get shot.” Not only did she denounce the stories as false, but she showed how much the situation has taken a toll on her, trying her hardest to hold back tears the entire time.
Just like the situation with Kanye West, it’s important to continue to support Megan Thee Stallion and show her love, rather than use her as the basis for a mediocre joke on social media. If the same people were in her position, they would likely be overwhelmed by the negative treatment. We have got to remember that celebrities, such as West and Megan Thee Stallion, have emotions and feel things just like everyone else. Instead of using them just for entertainment, they need to be treated as fellow human beings worthy of compassion and thoughtfulness.
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