A blog dedicated to exploring the civil rights movement in Memphis, TN
Thursday, March 1, 2018
#Hashtag Activism
In July 2016, in response to a spate of police shootings of black men across the country, Memphians marched in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, shutting down the I-40 bridge across the Mississippi. Their protest was controversial both among detractors of the movement, who believed it was unnecessary and disruptive, and the movement's supporters who said that the march didn't actually achieve any real change. Regardless of its ultimate political impact, the march was an example of the unprecedented power of social media campaigns, or hashtag activism.
Social media is a game changer for activists all over the world. For instance, in the early 2010s, social media was a key factor in the spread and success of the revolutionary movements of the Arab Spring. In America, social media has been employed by young activists of all sorts in recent years.
Modern, American, progressive protests rooted in hashtag activism, such as Black Lives Matter and the Fight for Fifteen, combine the militant nonviolence of moderate activists like King and the youth energy and leadership of the Black Power movement. The current wave of progressive protests is also rooted in millennial and Gen Z culture, featuring a new intersectional initiative that emphasizes the importance of progressive cooperation among people of color, women, LGBTQ+, the poor and working class, adherents of all faiths and no faith, and allies of all of the above.
However, it is uncertain whether or not hashtag activism is as effective as forms of protest that are seen as more "traditional" (marches, rallies, sit-ins, etc.). Are people simply "liking" and "sharing" posts, without actually engaging with the material?
Ultimately, hashtag activism is only effective when used in conjunction with direct action. Social media posts alone will not effect change. However, progressive campaigns that take advantage of the power of social media to drum up publicity and connect disparate segments of the population can have a direct impact on public opinion. While there is no guarantee that hashtag activism will lead to policy changes, it certainly has the power to alter the national political discourse, as we saw with Black Lives Matter and our renewed focus on police brutality.
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Social media certainly gets the message out about an activist movement, and I see an evolution of how it is being used. Previously, I have found that it dilutes the protest and activism itself. While many people knew about #blacklivesmatter, I don't think that many cared to investigate what it truly meant. Perhaps because of this, fewer intellectual and stimulating conversations happened due to the fact that everyone 'knew' about the movement. However, in the wake of the Florida shooting, social media has been able to spread plans of nationwide school walk outs at the month anniversary and on the anniversary of Columbine; whether or not that has to do with the demographic effected by the movement is another story.
ReplyDeleteI see where you are coming from and I definitely agree that hashtag activism is not as effective as other forms of activism, but do we expect it to be? I would be deeply surprised if someone were to tell me that they posted on their social media in regard to a issue plaguing society and believed that they were changing the world. I believe that social media is only used as a tool for activism and is a step in the right direction; nobody can protest alone. Using social media is a great way to inform others and reach out to larger populations and create a greater platform. Therefore, I don't see social media as a form of activism, but only a tool. Many people are quick to critique it because they seem to misunderstand its purpose.
ReplyDeleteSocial media is powerful, but only when used with restraint
ReplyDeleteI agree in the use of social media as a way to compliment physical actions within the community. Social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram allow communities at large to hear of protests occurring on both national and local levels. Oftentimes it is through social media that protests are organized and made known to the public. Social media becomes a problem however when it is used to distort the intentions of an organization by clouding it with multiple opinions rather than focusing on the specific point of the movement. A balance must exist between promoting a movement and understanding the reasons for an movement. Change can only be achieved through a cohesive effort made by the individuals involved in the movement.
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