R8: Activism on Social Media

Activism on Social Media

change.org, a website where users can
create petitions and elicit change.

      As media and communications technologies become more engrained in society, a form of media activism has emerged, where these technologies are utilized to help spur social or political movements. Social media has quickly and effectively brought scandals to the public’s attention, most recently United kicking off a passenger from a flight. Other movements such as Black Lives Matter have been strongly bolstered through the use of social media, specifically Twitter with its hashtags. Platforms such as Facebook have additional mechanisms, such as the ability to add a temporary profile picture with special symbols (for instance, one supporting gay marriage). Writer Malcolm Gladwell criticizes social media activism, arguing that “the platforms of social media are built on weak ties” (Gladwell 2010) and social media users lack the strong connections needed for driving powerful change. In reality, however, social media has proven to be an effective tool for sociopolitical activism by providing us with new ways to, as teacher and activist Deray McKeeson says, “effectively shine light on injustice” (Kwame 2016).

The term "Twitter Revolution" now refers to any movement

where cyber activists communicate/participate through Twitter.

     The growth of social media as a tool which has “reinvented social activism” (Gladwell 2010) is easily seen in the Moldovan parliamentary election protests. These protests were discussed and organized entirely on Twitter, making the protest as a whole known as the “Twitter Revolution.” These social media technologies can provide a space for political discourse which difficult to achieve in a physical arena, particularly in strict or authoritarian settings. In the ideas of Foucault, social media can in a way function as a heterotopia, or more specifically a space where activist movements can gain momentum. While some believe that “strong relationships between activists” cannot be replicated on social media settings, these cyberspaces serve as outstanding sources for grassroots mobilization (Gladwell 2010). Though the ties forged through social media may at first glance seem weaker, if the cause is conveyed with the right passions, this form of activism can still cause change while simultaneously mustering more numbers and force of manpower.

Social media helps plan and accumulate grassroots mobilization,

making more traditional forms of activism such as protesting

and boycotting more effective than ever before.

     Websites like change.org have demonstrated the power of activism online. In late 2015, for example, a woman serving life in prison was granted clemency after almost 300,000 people signed a petition on change.org which was started by her daughter saying that she did not deserve to die in prison. Though Gladwell argues that social media is “decentralized” and therefore “lacks discipline” to perform any “high risk strategies” like boycotts required to spur effective change, McKeeson notes that “there’s a role for everybody to play in the work of social justice.” Social media simply creates another vast space for people to come together and spur change, while providing very mechanisms for amalgamating and synchronizing activities that are more effective than ever before. 

Twitter page dedicated in protest

United airlines for their recent scandal.

     Gladwell says social media “makes it easier for activists to express themselves, and harder for that expression to have any impact” (Gladwell 2010). The truth, however, is that “we have to continue to create spaces for people” to protest (Kwame 2016). Using social media for so-called “hashtag activism” can be effective if done correctly. This is partly due to the fact that so many people use social media, you can get mass grassroots mobilization very quickly. However, the other important aspect is that the technology itself gives protesters the ability to rapidly organize support while highlighting the most important discourse and “calling out” injustices which quickly become viral. As social media continues to proliferate, we are very likely to see an ever-increasing proportion of protests happening in cyberspace, but this does not mean that these protests will be any less effective.

References 

Change.org logo. https://b-i.forbesimg.com/emilycanal/files/2013/10/Change-logo1.png.

Gladwell, Malcolm, “Small Change,” The New Yorker, 10/4/10, http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/10/04/small-change-3.

Opam, Kwame, “Building Tools for Digital Activism” 11/29/16, The Verge, http://www.theverge.com/a/verge-2021/deray-mckesson-interview-black-lives-matterdigital-activism.

Twitter Revolution. https://justiceinconflict.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/twitter-revolution.jpg.

United Airport Boycott. http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/58ee4f2a77bb70c57b8b4ff8-1190-625/the-united-airlines-boycott-is-not-backing-down--heres-how-it-could-affect-sales.jpg.

United Twitter Boycott. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C9UtzW9UwAA_IrA.jpg.