Social Media Activism

What do you think about the role played by social media in contemporary social movements and activism?

I have mixed feelings on how useful social media can be when it comes to social activism. I feel that many people use social media to vent out their frustrations politically or otherwise. They can debate with “friends”, strangers, and share “news” posts to support their views. It can be draining to investigate who is posting true news and who is posting from non-credible sources. Most days Facebook makes me angry. I avoid it or I open Facebook and after two minutes I’m so annoyed that I close it and ask myself ‘why do I even look’?  

Moving on… I do think that Facebook and other social media sites have helped form support groups and build online communities. As mentioned in the prompt, the Women’s March is a great example of how social media has contributed to mobilizing people. The massive amount of support from people who attended the March was a result of word spreading country wide. Without the use of social media the number of attendants would have been lower. I think social media will continue to help movements grow because of how fast information can be accessed online.

People may hear about an event through a weak connection, like the Women’s March, but when people take to the street and actively participate they create a strong, noticeable community with a louder voice. It's much easier to ignore a virtual movement than a protest with thousands of people.