In the last decade, social media has expanded the public sphere, taking what were once small discussions of social movements to a much larger stage. From rallies taking place around the University of Oregon to international revolutions, many social movements would not have the effect that they did, had their message not been spread throughout social media.
Again and again, we hear people from generations before us saying that we waste all our time on social media – we must prove them wrong. As the first generation raised in an Internet-run society, we must show past generations that social media can be used for good all over the world.
Laura Strait, a journalism graduate student, believes that social media has waned some of our interpersonal skills. But she also understands that it is increasing connectivity in many ways.
“There are a lot of people that don’t pay attention to what is going on in the world and (social media) is a way that people get quick tidbits of news and headlines,” Strait said. “At least people are reading it a little and realizing what’s going on.”
Before social media, it was tedious for average citizens to get what they wanted to see on the news. With hashtags like #BringBackOurGirls, people can get the media coverage they need in order to make a difference for their cause.
“Social media has proven many times that it can be used to drive a social movement,” Strait said. “An example would be the Arab Spring where a lot of the communications to organize and meet in certain places were facilitated through Facebook and Twitter.”
Social media is such a colossal part of today’s society that it has the potential to give any cause or event a worldwide audience. Uniting world opinion can play a large role in pushing governments into action or unethical leaders into flight.
“If something starts getting popular, it’s going to rise to the top and it’s going to be something that everyone can see and everyone can interact with,” Strait said. When we believe in a cause, we are the ones that need to make it popular.
Each and every one one of us has the power to do so, yet we waste our time on social media posting pictures of our latest meal instead of our political views. Twitter and Facebook have been seen as nothing but entertainment in the U.S. Although overseas, where people are stripped of their basic human rights, these social media sites have become the tools they need to get their voice heard.
In the past few years, social media has played a prominent roll in arranging and rousing protestors all around the world. Many social movements, for example the 2011 Egyptian revolution, have been started by accidental activists who simply posted their frustration on social media sites and that escalated into full on protests that were taken to the streets.
What we must remember is that simply posting about your cause on the Internet will not help without actual action. Many people have criticized the concept of hashtag activism, because often someone will tweet or post on Facebook to show their support for a cause, but then do nothing else to support that cause. Simply tweeting #BringBackOurGirls will not actually do anything for the 230 schoolgirls who were kidnapped and are still being held by terrorists in Nigeria.
Rebecca Keenan runs all the social media for a grassroots organization and uses Twitter to easily contact activists that will help their cause.
“We’ve literally tweeted out a senator’s phone number and said call him to tell him to vote no on this bill,” Keenan said. “If an office gets 5,000 phone calls in a few hours, they are going to notice.”
If we, as a student body, use Twitter and Facebook to find out exactly what we all want, then together we can take our stand on the Internet and get our cause the attention it needs. We can use social media to take action by linking petitions, organizing rallies, spreading a politician’s contact info, etc.
It’s time to access the power we’ve been neglecting. The only way to use it to its full potential is if we work together to spread our ideas across the globe.