Social Activism & Twitter

I believe social media, particularly Twitter, can be immensely useful when it comes to activism. It’s great for getting people interested in under 140 words, linking to relevant articles and other media, telling people where to meet, and giving quick updates as they arise. I also love how the hashtag is used to get more and more people connected and involved. It makes it easy for people to become a part of a movement. People who cannot necessarily make it to an event can easily show their support through their social media accounts as well.
However, I think social media has made it too easy for people in a way. It allows them to just retweet something or share a hashtag and make themselves feel like they helped in some way. I truly believe social media can be a powerful tool when it comes to many things, including activism, but it needs to be used in the right way. Retweets don’t solve a cause, though they do create discourse around a topic. People need to get involved beyond the comfort of their iPhone screens.

Social media has been great at getting people excited about things for a short time. For example, the Bernie Sanders campaign exploded because of social media. But now I hear very few people talking about him. I don’t even see Black Lives Matter mentioned all that often. Before my newsfeed was covered in it. It’s like certain movements are social media fads. They’re cool for awhile but then they’re replaced by something else. In order for a serious change or movement to happen, that excitement needs to be motivated into something bigger. Something that people won’t lose their focus on.

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