Social Media and Special Calendar Days

When we think of the ‘holidays’ we often first think of the Christian or Jewish religious holidays, or the federal holidays when everyone is off work. Then we have the ‘marketing’ holidays like this weekend’s Mother’s Day, upcoming Father’s Day, and the fun ones like National Cookie Day (12/4) or National Pizza Day (2/9). As a society we like to celebrate; it feels good to connect with others and have things in common. Creating special calendar days to share these moments is usually joyful.

One of the high points of being on social media on days like Mother’s Day, is that the various platforms serve as a medium to share the highlights of their individual celebrations. We feel connected to our social peers when we collectively share in a similar experience. It feels good to share the kids’ crafts or know that some mom’s share in the collective headache despite what they ‘should’ feel their special day. And on the flip side, we also see that these ‘commercial’ holidays also bring up awareness that for some of us, me included, making us think a little more carefully about what we’re actually celebrating.

For example, some Days or Months are meant to be educational, like Black History Month (February) or National Women’s Month (March). I personally learn so much on social media during these weeks by following accounts that share more about our histories (and not the textbook versions). If you’re looking for new content on these topics, check out Kimberly, a liberation storyteller (@itskimberlyrenee) or the community over at @feminist.

Then we have months like, April, which represents both the National Child Abuse Prevention and Sexual Assault Awareness month. During the first week of April, The Social Question partnered with a New England nonprofit (whose mission is to educate and to prevent child sexual abuse) to discuss these topics with parents on Instagram. We collaborated with 5 parent accounts and each hosted questions Monday-Friday and shared support hotline numbers. One of the biggest takeaways from the project was validating that many parents do not talk to other parents, nor with adults responsible for their children, about expectations and prevention strategies regarding child sexual abuse. There are some parents who make assumptions on the topic and as a result, our children sometimes end up in the care of adults who do more harm than protection. With this project, the organization can now better develop parent and organization resources and social media strategies to further the conversation.

Speaking of child safety, this Mother’s Day you may have seen the campaigns on social media about what mom’s really want this year: gun control legislation. We saw advocates like Emily (@emilyinyourphone) leading the movement for #phonecallsnotflowers this holiday and she also launched her new advocacy page @ForFactsSake_. While some argue on social media about politics, accounts like Emily’s try to cut through the chaos and leverage the broader conversations to turn them into meaningful discussions. By championing her cause with special day, she had more energy and urgency from her followers and supporters; it’s an emotional topic was a key marketing strategy with a specific call to action.

Mother’s Day is also a great example of how our greater society is trying to be more inclusive. I personally have a hard time on these days because I am eager to become a mom, and it’s hard to avoid the good-feeling posts many share when I feel left out of the experience. This year I noticed a renewed effort to be more sensitive to the women in their lives that may not find the day *as enjoyable* as others. Notable, variations of this post by @kindredbravely have been circulating the last week or so, for those who:

·      Have experienced a miscarriage

·      Are yearning to become a mother

·      Grieving the loss of a child

·      Have lost their mothers

·      With difficult mother or child relationships

·      Are mothers to angel babies

·      Are IVF warriors

·      Support a loved one through loss

·      Find today hard

 What’s important about posts like these is that it doesn’t diminish the mothers finding joy in the day’s celebrations, it’s recognizing that there are people who feel pain or sadness, or a mix of several emotions. “Happy Mother’s Day” isn’t happy for everyone and it’s a simple acknowledgement that, as humans, emotions are complex and certain days of the calendar can be more triggering than others. While about half of the global population is female, males may often have a hard time and conversations help others feel seen and included and they can still participate on their own terms without feeling ashamed.

I may be biased, but I firmly believe we are closer as a community with these more expanded points of view on ‘happy’ holiday calendar days. What’s this mean for research? Consider checking out key calendar dates before your next project, is there a way you can incorporate a fun or meaningful ‘day of’ in your research or question strategy? Are there key anchor conversations already started on social media that you can tap into to enhance your study’s objectives? If you need assistance, The Social Question is here to help.