Blog Post #2

Malcolm Gladwell (Small Change) writes of social media being a strong influence on social activism. He uses examples of Twitter bringing people together to stand up for their rights as humans and of databases helping to find donors for bone-marrow when someone needed some. Natalie Walton (How Advocating from the Comfort of Our Own Homes Has Impacted American Politics) does not believe that social media has any benefits in relation to political activism. She believes that people do not have to go look for news because it is exposed throughout social media. Bijan Stephen (Social Media Helps Black Lives Matter Fight the Power) believes exactly what the title says. Social Media helps with political and social activism. During the civil rights movement, if someone needed to report important news to the world, he or she would pick up a phone and make a call. Today, movements start up via social media and the word gets spread instantly. Through many trending hashtags and new accounts people are able to see the issues around the world and can either join in the fight against it or even (sadly) promote it. Two of these articles believe social media does, in fact, promote social justice while the other does not.

I believe that “online activism” can promote social justice. People come together on social media for events that have little to do with politics, but sometimes people can orchestrate marches and protests and can help find people for medical reasons and so much more. It is almost impossible to not find at least one person via social media (mainly Facebook and Twitter) who can help with projects. Most companies have Twitter accounts, Facebook pages, Instagrams and more to establish their platform and recruit customers or clients. Many people post political arguments and discussions online. This causes heated debates about what is right vs. wrong. Whether it is black and white or different shades of grey does not matter to most people. The internet and social media are major proponents to social and political movements around the world. They benefit many beliefs and parties, and help create something that’s bigger than a phone call.