Hashtag Activism (Ethnography)
I was thinking about different ways that people can protest and advocate for whatever issue it may be and hashtags came to mind. When Twitter came out, hashtags became a very popular thing to just attach at the end of our thoughts. Now, the hashtag has also became a way to show support for certain causes and movements. Here are just a few hashtags that are popular and come from movements: #BlackLivesMatter, #LoveisLove, and #OscarsSoWhite. Many of us probably recognized these hashtags and I believe that says something right there. The article I have attached gives insight from many different people on whether or not social media and hashtags are effective. Some people believe that using hashtags does nothing and that it is simply the same as typing something on your computer and just continuing on with your life doing nothing to create change (Shonda Rhymes for example). Others, such as April Reign who created the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite, believe hashtags are useful and that they spread the word. She believes credit is due to “conversations stemming from the hashtag and the issues behind it [which] made system change for the first time in the 80 year history of the Academy”.
I would like to venture into the this topic and ask activists their opinions on hashtags. Do hashtags work? How do they imagine hashtags can make a difference?