Social movements have been engrained in US history as well as across the world for centuries and were sometimes considered as "high-risk". This was because of its hierarchies and the accountability of all the members that participated, with committees and groups in place for any possible contingencies. More recently, social movements have been started through social media with strong and weak ties, and these ties can be both beneficial and harmful to the movements. Strong ties on social media mean that there's a constant line of communication between you, your friends/other users. They are the people that you know would have a strong interest in getting involved and helping out. Weak ties, however, are people/users that you rarely communicate with, like in a sense of networking. They are the people that can possibly spread the message of the movement for you but stay at a distance and not get heavily involved. In the essay "Small Change," Malcolm Gladwell explores the differences between social activism and social media activism. Gladwell says, that "the Internet lets us exploit the power of these kinds of distant connections with marvelous efficiency. It’s terrific at the diffusion of innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, seamlessly matching up buyers and sellers, and the logistical functions of the dating world." (Gladwell) Meaning that social media is an okay start to getting people together for a greater cause that is outside of themselves and their inner circles. However, he continues to say that through social media activism that "decisions are made through consensus, and the ties that bind people to the group are loose." (Gladwell) Even though the original idea/meaning has been explained and passed along to others to expand the movement, the true intention gets lost in translation. "Because networks don't have a centralized leadership structure and clear lines of authority, they have real difficulty reaching consensus and setting goals...They can’t think strategically; they are chronically prone to conflict and error." (Gladwell) This can lead to chaos and the downfall of the movement.
An example of social media activism is the Black Lives Matter Movement. It started in 2013 after the acquittal of George Zimmerman for the death of Trayvon Martin in 2012 by the use of a hashtag (#BlackLivesMatter). The outrage of police brutality and systematic racism continued to pour out when the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, Eric Garner in New York City, NY, and among many others that happened in 2014/2015. Since then, the movement had grown to over 30 national network chapters and even to other parts of the world between 2014-2016. In comparison, the Black Lives Matter movement was considered as anti-police like that of the Black Panthers Party of the 1960s and 70s. However, this wasn't the only critique of the movement.
Born and raised in Baltimore City, teacher and activist DeRay Mckesson eventually because an important voice in the Black Lives Matter movement. In an interview with Kwame Opam for The Verge, Mckesson explains how using tools like Instagram and Twitter helped him get his message across to the country and that he's hopefully for the future of social media. "I think that we have to be open to new ways of organizing and new ways of building community...I think that we’ll continue to see the platforms push and redefine the way we organize." (Opam) He continues to talk about the future of the movement and how it will expand. "I think that in five years, the movement will be a comprehensive space. I’m mindful that the movement is young...We are two years into this...I think that in five years we’ll see some really focused economic organizing, that we’ll continue to see people pressing in the criminal justice space..." (Opam) Mckesson explains that the Civil Rights Movement took a decade to get their message across for equality and it could take just as long with this new movement, especially with phrases/hashtags like #AllLivesMatter undermining their true intentions. 
I believe that social media is an extremely valuable tool in helping movements like Black Lives Matter to reach their ultimate goals. It could definitely be used as a stepping stone to get thousands of people to be involved with something that's "more important" than themselves. Social media can be used for networking and gaining connections that could be beneficial. The only thing I would say that needs to be fixed is the miscommunication/misinterpretation of the underlying views of these movements. There's so much internet/social "hearsay" that something positive can easily become negative in a matter of minutes. Everyone has to be on board and not for their own agendas. If this can happen, then these movements are on the right path for importance and recognition.
Works Cited
Gladwell, Malcolm. "Small Change." The New Yorker. The New Yorker, 12 May 2015. Web. 03 May 2017.
Opam, Kwame. "DeRay Mckesson on Black Lives Matter and building tools for digital activism | Verge 2021." TheVerge.com. The Verge, 29 Nov. 2016. Web. 03 May 2017.
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