Activism at its Finest

Our world is constantly changing. People change. Technology changes. Politics change. The overall structure of humankind has gone through massive amounts of change that has greatly impacted the way people live their lives. With all this political and social change comes a need to stand for what you believe in. Activism. When looking back on activism we see passion, bravery, and honor through the acts of people. Today, I believe we can look at activism and say the same thing. Though many may disagree, the power of passionate in person activism is still very much alive. To be an activist to me means to contribute to help those without power that are experiencing something harmful that you believe can be stopped. When we bring technology and social media into the conversation with activism it’s easy to get caught up in the argument that social media activism is taking away from real, in person activism. I have grown up in a time where I can confidently say that real, in person activism still exists. Be it the Black Lives Matter movement protests, the raiding of the capital, or the protests for and against Roe V. Wade. It lives. Social media has only added to these movements by organizing protests, coordinating accounts to educate people, and spreading the word about important topics that people wouldn’t otherwise know about? Though these forms of activism may be different than the sit ins in the 1960s. It is yet passion being shown in a real-life form. Malcolm Gladwell, author of Small Change, brings light to the conversation of activism in the south during the 1960s. Sharing the heartfelt stories behind the brave people who protested for civil rights and how activism today cannot compare. Kevin Kelley, author of Technophilia, shares his thoughts on what it means to be in love with technology and be able to use it for the greater good. Social media, used in a meaningful way, can leverage a powerful advantage on the dynamic of activism, but we must be open to see it.

As a constantly growing and changing society we should take advantage of technology and social media by using it as a tool to empower change. Just like any other tool, we can use social media to help us fix an issue or a problem. As we move forward in the world of technology, we advance beyond just doing things in person but also online. Kelley explains to us, “As the scale of technology outgrew the hand, machines became a communal experience. By the age of the industry, lay folk had many occasions to encounter complexifying technology larger than any natural organism they had ever seen, and they began to fall under its sway” (Kelley 1). Essentially, as technology became more present in people’s day to day lives it began to take over things that once were done by hand but can now be done online. By describing it as a communal experience, Kelley puts emphasis on the fact that the advancements of modern technology can bring people together because they have something in common. To back up the use of technology in activism Gladwell includes in his writing, “With Facebook and Twitter and the like, the traditional relationship between political authority and popular will has been upended, making it easier for the powerless to collaborate, coordinate, and give voice to their concerns” (Gladwell 3). I agree with these thoughts because the platforms of social media provide opportunity for people who don’t usually have a voice to voice their opinions loud and clear. As someone who has multiple forms of social media like Instagram and Snapchat, I can say that I have seen people advocate for issues over social media when they would have never of had the confidence to advocate in real life. An example of this is given to us in Gladwell’s writing when he describes the power of social media and the effect it had on the Iranian people, “Without Twitter the people of Iran would not have felt empowered and confident to stand up for freedom and democracy,” Mark Pfeifle, a former national-security adviser, later wrote, calling for Twitter to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize” (Gladwell 3). Having Twitter receive a Nobel Peace Prize, in my opinion, is a bit extreme. However, seeing people come together over an app to make such a significant amount of change that it is wanted to be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize is quite remarkable.

 (Need an intro here) “In other words, Facebook activism succeeds not by motivating people to make a real sacrifice but by motivating them to do the things that people do when they are not motivated enough to make a real sacrifice. We are a long way from the lunch counters of Greensboro” (Gladwell 9). This quote from Gladwell expresses his view on social media activism and how it’s essentially the easier and lazier way to engage in activism. I strongly agree that technology makes tasks easier and people lazier, but it also has many benefits to the world of activism if used the right way. From personal experience, posting an issue you feel strongly about on your Instagram story will not make great impact on the issue or by no means help to solve the issue. However, by posting it on your Instagram story you know for a fact that at least one of your followers will see it. What if it interests them and they decide to check it out? Maybe even get involved, donate, or volunteer their time to this cause? On the flip side, if they don’t (which they most likely won’t), they probably still read it which means that issue is now buried somewhere in their brain, and they at least have awareness about it as before they probably didn’t even know it existed. The arguments against this are that people who participated in activism in the past often got involved in person by protesting alongside a close-knit group of friends and not a group of people who know each other from social media. Gladwell states in a different spot in his article, “The platforms of social media are built around weak ties. Twitter is a way of following (or being followed by) people you may never have met. Facebook is a toll for efficiently managing your acquaintances, for keeping up with people you would not otherwise be able to stay in touch with. That’s why you can have a thousand “friends” on Facebook, as you never could in real life” (Gladwell 7). While I agree that some people who follow each other on social media may have never met and know nothing about each other, I also feel like people can form strong bonds over social media. Take tinder for example, people meet their future husbands and wives over an app on a smartphone. If we put ourselves in the shoes of someone who was living during the 1960s it would feel unreal to have magical little boxes that help find romance. To contrast my thoughts on social media positively impacting activism people may ask, if an individual is so moved by an issue, then why don’t they go out and find time to get involved to make a difference? My defense to this is that not everyone, realistically, has extra time on their hands. I know for me as a college student I am juggling many different things at once, as many college students are. Not only college students but the average adult who works every day to support a family might not have the extra time to dedicate to a cause. With these cases it’s nice to have a platform to express how we feel and share topics that are important to us. That way we can get the word out about an issue that people may have never known about.