Social Media as a Tool for Change

It was interesting to hear the different view-points during class about whether social media is something that truly helps promote activism that is needed to produce meaningful social and political change or not.  Being created by the internet it is loosely tied together and can easily have people not feel connected to a cause.  Many things that do not have a central leader to point to can fall apart easily.  This is how online activism is structured: a sea of people that can not distinguish who is leading the movement and who is following.

While all these things are true, social media is something that can bring together and mobilize a large number of people behind one cause.  The examples that Black Lives Matter and Women's March on Washington have set show that there are many people willing to take the streets for a cause they believe in.  We have seen many people becoming a part of a movement that normally wouldn't have before having social media bringing them into the picture.  By bringing these people out into the groups of people it is a step in the right direction of social and political change.

Demonstrations are something that catch the attention of political heads, but it rarely every changes their opinion or stance.  The most important piece is that citizens are becoming more and more involved and knowledgeable.  There are citizens that are learning about the causes behind these demonstrations and making the right moves to get involved with the government to make change for the greater good.  By interweaving people that have the same views of what needs to happen for the right social change with the government, true change can begin to happen.

Social media truly gives a voice to those that previously had no voice simply because they were outside of the mainstream media.  By interconnecting our society we can make it much stronger and have goals that are more applicable to each citizen.  Most large demonstrations may not create change immediately, but rather gradually.  Trying to change the shape of our society is something that can not happen overnight.  By educating citizens on both sides of issues, we can find progress.  The next step after having demonstrations is having civil discourse with those that disagree.  By doing so, in a personal manner, we can find a middle ground as a society.  We can not solely rely on social media when trying to make change, but rather use it as a tool to get towards the change we believe is necessary.