Activism through Social Media

“The moment our historical generation is living through is the largest increase in expressive capability in human history” Clay Shirky - TED Talk

This increase in expressive capability has led to the rise of activism and the awareness of what occurs in our world on a global scale. Most everyone has access to the Internet and are part of this revolution. Clay Shirky uses the example of the earthquake in China in 2008. Chinese citizens were posting videos, information, and facts about the earthquake that the Chinese government was trying to suppress. The government, however, was no match for the outcries of the public through social media. In fact, the Chinese government even shut down Twitter on the anniversary of Tiananmen because of the fear of uproar and criticism. The photos of protesters are extremely powerful, in my opinion. The photos of destruction and those who are protesting for a cause they believe in are enough to move the heart of any person whether or not they believe in the cause.

Social media allows small groups to reach a large audience. Social media allows others to post their thoughts and opinions and allow others to respond and talk back. It opens up a conversation that was not possible even in the 20th century. The Internet has been around a good amount of time now, but it was not until the rise of social media that this type of activism was possible. People with not as much power are able to reach those higher up on the food chain -- in politics, on television, those in large interest groups, who own large companies, etc.

I have many causes that I would have no problem protesting for -- stewardship of land and preserving national parks, Trump's idea of building a wall between the U.S. and Mexico, slavery that still exists globally, sexual trafficking, pro-kill animal shelters, etc.