Social media is a double-edged sword. It can do a lot of damage if misused or it can do a lot of good if managed properly. Apps like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram can be a place of jokes and laughter and a place where opinions fly freely causing debates. Social media brings awareness to problems and situations that are not covered in mainstream news outlets and would otherwise go under the radar. Many people criticize the use of social media for civil rights issues saying that it does nothing and that it’s just people talking in circles. Black people, the LGBT community and any other underrepresented and oppressed groups use social media to inform and mobilize around social issues all the time.
The Black Lives Matter movement started has a simple hashtag on Twitter and developed into an entire movement fighting for justice. Twitter has developed into a place to gather and share the news. The new “moments” feature adds a new dynamic to the app that was not there before. You can get the news and share it within the app. For social activists this allows them to reach their followers with news as soon as it breaks. Before social media, emails were the way to go and before that, passing out flyers and standing on a soap box was the most effect way to reach people, but that only reached a limited amount of people.
Most social media apps are free. Many social activists do not get paid, so using social media provides an inexpensive way to reach millions of people on a daily basis. This allows them to invite people to join their cause. Social media also gets rid of the middle man and allows people to communicate directly with their audiences by using specific hashtags.
Social media is such a powerful tool, that in 2011, the Egyptian government blocked access to all social media sites to prevent the public from organizing protests against the government.
The future of social media activism seems to be solid. Social media is the connecting point for like-minded people all over the world. It is also the starting point for activism. For activists, to have an effect on real civil issues, real action beyond social media must take place, but social media is a perfect place to send out a rally call. When you are passionate about having a positive effect on society, it goes deeper than a hashtag. That’s only when activism begins.
