Q&A
Impact of social media platforms and video games on subway surfing behavior
2:30:18
·
101 sec
Council Member Rita Joseph and MTA representative Jeremy Feigelson discuss the impact of specific social media platforms and video games on subway surfing behavior. They explore potential strategies to mitigate the glorification of subway surfing in various media.
- Instagram is identified as another platform with subway surfing videos
- Concerns raised about news coverage inadvertently glorifying the behavior
- Discussion of the 'Subway Surfers' video game and its potential influence
- Suggestion to include safety messages in games to discourage real-life imitation
Rita Joseph
2:30:18
Are you also looking at Instagram?
2:30:20
I went and I did a search yesterday.
2:30:21
There's quite a few videos on there with a lot of likes.
Jeremy Feigelson
2:30:25
Yeah.
2:30:25
I hope I said Instagram as well as TikTok before, but absolutely, those are the 2 platforms we are most focused on.
2:30:32
And, one concern we hear back from, the social media companies, just so you're aware, is some of those videos, that you're seeing may be, news stories about subway surfing, which include the images.
2:30:45
We're very concerned that, that in itself glorifies the behavior.
2:30:48
We'd like to see, the news organizations consider, you know, using that footage maybe in a more limited way.
2:30:55
But the social media companies have told us that, they will, sometimes take a different approach if it's a video posted by a news organization where there might be a First Amendment concern versus a video posted by a young person celebrating their own behavior and glorifying it, which they are willing to take down immediately.
2:31:11
So that's an approach.
2:31:12
And, Cher Salam, I love your comment about James Bond.
2:31:15
I know that when my son and I go to see those movies and he gets on top of the train car, everyone else in the theater is cheering, and I'm going, please, in the next movie, could he just ride inside?
2:31:26
And everybody stays alive?
2:31:27
We just
Rita Joseph
2:31:28
And there's video games, right, around Subway Surfing.
2:31:30
I think there's one specifically it's called Subway Surfing.
Jeremy Feigelson
2:31:34
There is a game called Subway Surfers, and we've spoken to some of the young people about that.
2:31:39
And, and we've reached out, to all the companies to see if the availability of that game, you know, can be limited.
Rita Joseph
2:31:44
And if they do have those games, right, maybe at the end of the game, there's a messaging to say that maybe we should not imitate this because it's not a safe thing.
2:31:50
This is not a reality.
2:31:51
It's a game.
2:31:52
So I'm hoping that message can be reached over to game companies as well.
Jeremy Feigelson
2:31:56
Yeah.
2:31:57
From your lips to the company's ears, Chair.
Rita Joseph
2:31:59
I I hope they're listening.
