Positivity Is Not A Replacement For Progress
TL;DR: Social media cheerleading—a culture of uncritical praise and validation—has created a digital ecosystem where mediocrity thrives, intellectual critique is discouraged, and visibility is mistaken for true progress. While well-intentioned, this behavior ultimately dilutes artistic depth and critical discourse, allowing engagement metrics to dictate cultural value. To fight back, we must reject passive participation, reclaim ownership of creative spaces, and demand structural change that prioritizes mastery over marketability, depth over virality, and true progress over superficial uplift.
The Hollowing Out of Creativity: How Social Media Cheerleading Undermines Artistic and Intellectual Depth
Over the years, I’ve observed a shift in how we engage with creativity and intellectual discourse—one that has troubled me as both a creator and a thinker. Social media, which was once heralded as a democratizing force for creative expression, has morphed into an ecosystem where cheerleading and performative validation have taken precedence over depth, rigor, and honest critique.
This phenomenon—what I call social media cheerleading—refers to the culture of uncritical, hyper-positive reinforcement that dominates online spaces. Instead of engaging with art, ideas, and cultural discourse with nuance and intellectual curiosity, people default to mindless affirmation, boosting content solely based on visibility, personal affiliations, or social trends rather than on merit, originality, or impact.
On the surface, this behavior appears harmless—even uplifting. In a world riddled with systemic injustices, economic uncertainty, and sociopolitical chaos, positivity can feel like an act of resistance. But beneath this well-intentioned facade lies a detrimental shift in creative and intellectual culture—one that rewards engagement over excellence, visibility over value, and compliance over critical thought.
My Personal Experience with Social Media Cheerleading
As someone who has spent decades immersed in creative industries—spanning music, film, and media production—I’ve seen firsthand how the shift from genuine critique to social media validation has altered the trajectory of artistic progress. I’ve watched brilliant artists and thinkers struggle for visibility because their work demands introspection and patience, while those who master the game of algorithmic engagement rise to prominence, regardless of depth or innovation.
I’ve been in spaces where mediocre work is celebrated simply because it aligns with trending topics or social movements, while boundary-pushing creators are ignored because their work is too challenging, too raw, or too complex. I’ve encountered situations where honest critique—once an essential part of the creative process—is viewed as negativity, discouraging meaningful conversations that drive art and culture forward.
This isn’t just frustrating—it’s dangerous. When hype replaces discernment, when engagement metrics dictate creative worth, and when critical dialogue is mistaken for gatekeeping, we risk losing what makes art and intellectual discourse valuable in the first place.
The Good Intentions Behind Social Media Cheerleading
At its core, social media cheerleading is often driven by good intentions. In a world where negativity dominates news cycles and systemic oppression remains rampant, many feel that celebrating others online is an act of solidarity, a way to uplift marginalized voices, and a countermeasure to the harsh realities people face offline.
For BIPOC creators, whose work has historically been ignored or co-opted, social media has provided an avenue for visibility that traditional gatekeeping institutions have denied them. A like, a share, or a comment may seem small, but within digital spaces, they can function as a form of mutual aid—an attempt to combat an algorithm that prioritizes white creators and mainstream aesthetics.
Yet, positivity alone is not progress. While social media offers momentary validation, it does not dismantle the underlying power structures that continue to marginalize, appropriate, and exploit creative labor. If cheerleading is not paired with tangible support, critical discussion, and systemic change, it risks becoming nothing more than a performative gesture that placates rather than empowers.
The Hidden Costs of Digital Cheerleading
Despite its perceived benefits, unchecked social media cheerleading carries unintended consequences. The prioritization of praise over critique fosters an ecosystem where mediocrity thrives, critical thought is suppressed, and engagement becomes the primary metric of success. This shift has led to several concerning trends:
Engagement Becomes a Substitute for Artistic or Intellectual Depth
Success is determined by virality, not by craftsmanship, originality, or depth of thought.
Content is optimized for visibility, often at the cost of meaningful exploration and risk-taking.
Creators and thinkers are incentivized to prioritize marketability over challenging or innovative work.
Critical Discussion Is Devalued
Nuanced critique is often dismissed as negativity or "hating," discouraging meaningful dialogue.
Social media algorithms favor agreeable content, reducing opportunities for intellectual rigor.
The fear of losing engagement discourages individuals from questioning dominant narratives.
The Illusion of Progress Masks Structural Inequities
Visibility does not equate to power; minority creators may be celebrated but still lack ownership over platforms and institutions.
Corporate-backed diversity initiatives often tokenize rather than empower marginalized voices.
White creators benefit disproportionately from trends inspired by minority cultures, reinforcing existing racial and class hierarchies.
The Whitewashing of Social and Creative Culture: A Facade of Progress
The digital space is a battleground where white mediocrity is upheld while minority brilliance is overlooked, extracted from, and repackaged for mainstream consumption. This cycle is enabled not just by appropriation but by the social conditioning of performative positivity, which discourages critique and allows shallow representation to masquerade as genuine progress.
Take, for instance, the explosion of Hip Hop culture into the mainstream. Once a grassroots movement born out of struggle, innovation, and raw talent from Black and Latino communities, it has now been sanitized for commercial appeal, with white artists often elevated to the forefront while its originators are sidelined. Similarly, in electronic music, genres like House and Techno—pioneered by Black artists in Chicago and Detroit—have been repackaged as European exports, often ignoring the deep cultural and historical roots of their creation.
Even in visual arts and filmmaking, BIPOC creators face systemic erasure. Independent Black filmmakers have long fought for distribution and funding, yet their aesthetics, storytelling, and creative vision are repurposed by Hollywood and presented as 'new' only when detached from their original cultural context. This appropriation extends to digital content creation, where trends started by Black TikTok dancers are frequently copied by white influencers, who then receive brand deals and visibility that the originators do not.
The danger of positivity as a substitute for progress is that it creates a false sense of inclusion. When companies tokenize Black and brown creators without giving them structural power, it fosters the illusion that equity has been achieved. Social media cheerleading further enables this by celebrating surface-level wins while ignoring the deeper issues of ownership, authorship, and economic power.
“Real progress demands more than visibility—it demands equity, control, and recognition of cultural contributions at every level.”
Final Thoughts: The Future of Creativity Requires Courage
Radical change does not come from passive participation; it comes from disrupting the system and creating alternatives that empower, not exploit. We do not need permission to exist, to create, or to lead. We are already here, and we define our worth. But defining our worth is not enough—we must actively reclaim our creative and intellectual spaces, ensuring they do not become dictated by those who lack the vision or the integrity to protect them.
The future of creativity will be determined by those who are willing to challenge superficial validation and resist algorithmic complacency. If we allow engagement metrics and digital applause to dictate value, we will see a further erosion of cultural depth and intellectual integrity. The next generation of artists, thinkers, and cultural innovators must understand that progress is forged in critique, in difficult conversations, in the willingness to push beyond comfort and demand substance over spectacle.
If we fail to act, we risk a future where creative excellence is drowned out by performative cheerleading, where real voices are marginalized in favor of viral conformity, and where corporate-driven visibility masquerades as progress.
We must be unapologetic in our pursuit of meaningful creative discourse, artistic autonomy, and equitable representation. The digital age presents opportunities for radical change, but only if we have the courage to challenge, disrupt, and redefine the spaces in which we operate.
To those who believe in real progress: create with purpose, critique with integrity, and build without compromise.
