R8: Online Activism

R8: Online Activism

       Social media platforms are used as an outlet to bring upon social change. It allows many different people from multiple backgrounds to voice their opinions and bring attention to specific cases that may have not been able and therefore can be seen as a valuable tool in activist movements.

In Malcolm Gladwell’s essay, “Small Change” he discusses how social media has reinvented the way we participate in social activism. With the use of social media, it is now easier to unite people over specific concerns. “With Facebook and Twitter and the like, the traditional relationship between political authority and popular will has been upended, making it easier for the powerless to collaborate, coordinate, and give voice to their concerns” (Gladwell 2010). Social media is a tool used to start up conversation and give attention to topics that would have otherwise been ignored by mainstream media. 

     

     

        Relating this discussion to a specific movement that majority utilized social media recently, the Women’s March truly showed how social media can unite thousands and bring attention to a specific platform. News about the Women’s March circulated from news feed to news feed, with an event shared on Facebook and then moving to other social media outlets like Twitter. It also shows that organizers don't need media coverage such as the news to reach a larger audience, and gain attention because people who are passionate about similar issues are now able to connect through social media. Ultimately, social media has changed the organizing landscape. Social media also allows the organization of issues to feel more personal, and gain support about a cause. 

Addressing Gladwell’s critique of strong and weak ties, “strong-tie” is seen as directly being involved in the movement, spontaneous, and having a personal connection. Are strong ties lacking in social media activism? Do our already weak ties caused by social media create a weaker movement? I believe so. Although social media gets the word across much fast and allow us to collaborate with other, it doesn't involve personal risk and “require that you confront socially entrenched norms and practices” (Gladwell 2010). In order to create change, we need to do much more than make a post on social media, be involved in real world situations. 

I do believe that social media is a very valuable tool in helping movements such as the Women’s March gain attention to a specific cause and issues groups are facing. Social Media also helps unite people who share a specific cause, and can bring them together in real life, as seen with the Women’s March, events were made through Facebook to attend the march, and was also tweeted about to bring awareness to what they were standing for. Although this was a historical movement that brought attention to many issues and brought many people together, it can be questioned as to whether they reached a goal. However, it takes more than just social media to reach their ultimate goal. It takes action in real life, or “strong ties” such as going to the supreme court, showing up to town hall meetings, calling representatives, being at the scene of action etc. Although all this can be discussed and organized through social media, nothing can change without physical action outside of the world of social media. Like Malcolm Gladwell said is his article, “Fifty years after one of the most extradorinaiy episodes of social upheaval in American history, we have seem to have forgotten what activism is” (Gladwell 2010). Is it truly activism if you are only tweeting about a cause? In Kwame Opam’s interview with Deray McKesson, McKesson states that “We have pushed the boundaries. When I think about what it means to protest, a protester is somebody who tells the truth in public and there are many ways to do that.” While I do agree with this statement, I think that social media can be used as a tool in helping spread awareness, but other in person forms of activism still need to be implemented in order to reach goals. 

Sources:

Gladwell, Malcolm. “Small Change.” The New Yorker. October 4, 2010. Accessed May 4, 2017. http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/10/04/small-change-malcolm-gladwell 

Opam, Kwame.”Building Tools For Digital Activism.” The Verge. November 29, 2016. Accessed May 4, 2017. https://www.theverge.com/a/verge-2021/deray-mckesson-interview-black-lives-matter-digital-activism 

Tama, Mario. “A Scene From the D.C. Women’s March.” Digital Image. New York Magazine. Accessed May 4, 2017. http://nymag.com/thecut/2017/01/a-scene-from-the-d-c-womens-march.html 

“Women’s March Flyer” Women’s March. Accessed May 4, 2017. https://www.womensmarch.com/graphics