Social Media and Social Justice
The internet has made it incredibly easy for information to be posted and circulated, whether locally or globally. In the past year, protests have become a staple of the fight back against Trump’s Administration. On the day that the traveling ban was implemented, there were instant protests all over the country, taking over the airports and demanding justice. The Women’s March which took place the day after Trump’s inauguration was the largest protest in history. The Day Without Immigrants and The Day Without Women were both huge successes too. These protests have all occurred over the past three months and have, without fail, taken media attention off of Donald Trump and the “swamp” he’s adding to, and given it to the people who are being harmed by their policies.
Though the extent of how social justice translates on social media is questionable, I believe that sharing articles and tweeting opinions does act as a gateway to protesting and getting more involved with your community and politics. In a time where the news stations cannot be trusted to get us all the information without their own agenda, it is not only suggested but necessary at this point to engage with the world online and gather each piece of information you can. It has become apparent that the information we receive is more real-time on Twitter than it is on news stations, and if someone is lying there are plenty of people in the replies to point it out.
Social media can translate very well into social justice with movements like Black Lives Matter. There was organizing online to go out into the streets and protest against police brutality, but also this was an issue that has always existed that is being thrown into the light because of the internet. The people are allowed to post what they want online, and now that most people have a camera on them at all times, there is no hiding from the truth. Videos and hashtags all contributed to making Black Lives Matter known and bringing in as many young people as possible.
I personally did not feel compelled to be a social activist nor did I think critically about the politics we are fed by the media. I didn’t know that police brutality was always an issue nor did I know what transgendered people were fighting for. As a person of color, even I didn’t know the extent of marginalization that I was put in and even now am still taking steps towards continually informing myself about the world around me. I really do not think that it would be possible without the help of social media to become more involved in social justice in this generation.
