The N Word: A Soical Crisis

Words have always held an incredible amount of power. In 2018 our words have more meaning than ever. With the evolution of social media , every statement we make has the potential to reach millions. Social Media can be used to change the world, or it can backfire.

Natalie Martinez was a Georgia State Freshman who came to the university on a soccer scholarship. Her life was changed forever when a private instagram post went viral of the athlete using the N word. For those who don’t know the N word is a racial slur that was used to degrade people of African descent. Some say the word has become desensitized and apart of American culture but African American studies major Ravyn Alford would disagree.

Natalie Martinez via GSU Athletic Website

Alford says, “ When you attempt to popularize the word, it takes away from it’s true meaning… the fact that she used her private page and not a public one shows she knew exactly what she was doing.”

A private instagram is also known as a “finsta’ by millennials. It was originally created by popular social celebrities who wanted freedom to post content strictly for their close friends and family. The trend quickly spread and before you knew it , the average teenager had their own finsta. They started out harmless, somewhat of like a double life. What most young people fail to realize is that nothing on social media is private.

Martinez was living the typical student athlete lifestyle. Finding ways to balance practice, midterms, and using whatever leftover time to have a social life. At just 18 years old the college freshman has tarnished her name. If you search “Natalie Martinez’ google instantly suggests Georgia State soccer. From there you see the amount of articles and backlash this young woman has tied to her name. GSU student Nicholas Coleman was outraged when he saw what the student athlete had done.

“ She should be ashamed, as an athlete she should just do better… I don’t think she should be expelled but she definitely needs to apologize,” says Coleman.

Social media has become apart of our culture. At the same time, if not used responsibly social media can have negative long term effects on our lives. A week before Martinez went viral , a student at the University of Alabama was expelled for putting racially charged videos on her private instagram. In just two weeks , we have two young woman who have changed the course of their lives by just hitting send.

Warning: Sensitive Language

Post made by Martinez on her finsta

Social media is going to continue to be a relevant part of our society. The issue is young people are ruining their futures over their online presence. As soon as her post went viral Martinez deleted all of her pages from Instagram all the way to Facebook. She released a statement following her withdrawal from the university.

Martinez said “No words can properly express the remorse I feel about my use of that horrendous and disgusting word on social media last week. My incredibly poor choice of language in that post is beyond embarrassing.”

Not only did Martinez embarrass her family and team, but she made herself a target for the general public. The world doesn’t know how Martinez truly feels about African Americans. Thanks to social media there will be an everlasting image of her using... the N word.