Is The #MeToo Movement Just a Trend on Social Media or A Vehicle of Change?
By Anjali Ramakrishnan
The Progressive Teen Staff Writer
2017 HAS BEEN A LANDMARK YEAR for the conversation of sexual misconduct. Particularly after the Weinstein scandal broke, the list of powerful men who have had allegations raised against them has become increasingly long, with names such as Al Franken, Kevin Spacey, Louis CK, Matt Lauer, and Charlie Rose.
It was after Harvey Weinstein that actress Alyssa Milano took to twitter to tell other women to tell their stories of sexual misconduct. She encouraged them to do so by simply using a hashtag: #MeToo.
And so it began. In wake of the shock from the Weinstein scandals, women began using the hashtag as a voice. Thousands and thousands shared their #MeToo stories, some relaying their entire stories and some simply using the hashtag. As the movement progressed more, Weinstein became one of many powerful men to go down for his actions rather than just being an anomaly. As a result, politicians who were viewed as the definition of a moral compass began to resign. Entertainers who had made us laugh for years were dropped from the industry. And the American public was struck with a wave of shock that an issue that has been overlooked time and time again was snowballing into something bigger than themselves.
There’s no doubt that in the past few months there has been a movement when it comes to sexual misconduct. But is that simply a result of the allegations or has social media fostered its development?
When breaking down the situation, it’s clear that the hashtag has been a movement in itself. Though Alyssa Milano is often the figure mentioned in regards to it, the Me Too movement itself was created by Tarana Burke. Though her name is being floated around more now — especially given the recent announcement she will be dropping the ball in Times Square on New Year’s Eve — it’s important to know that she is someone who truly has been dedicated to the issue for over a decade. Burke created a non-profit called Just Be Inc. to help women who are victims of sexual misconduct ten years ago, and named her movement Me Too. What’s especially significant about it being widely used as a hashtag is numbers. When women began using it, other victims saw that they were truly not alone and it gave them more courage to come out. On social media, post can be shared over and over again, and it often takes from a wide range of audiences. Celebrities may have a larger presence, but anyone with an account could post about it or see their friends sharing their stories. Hashtags file multiple posts into one category for people to clearly see how many people had used #MeToo. This doesn’t only empower the victims, but creates an awareness we may not have otherwise been able to have. Word of mouth may spread fast, but social media spreads faster. It’s accessible in multiple parts of the world and encompasses a wide variety of people. You don’t just hear the stories of your friends, but are exposed to those of others because of the wide circulation of posts, and again, the power to click on a hashtag and see activity from multiple people.
When Burke started the movement in 2007, social media had just barely began to arise. She undoubtedly did great work for victims of sexual misconduct, but it also had to have been harder to get the movement without a tool like social media that can spread information all over with the touch of a button.
Over a decade before Burke created her movement, a lawyer by the name of Anita Hill marked a turning point in the conversation about sexual misconduct after testifying the confirmation hearing of now Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who she said sexually harassed her. Thomas was confirmed, but the impact of her revolutionary move empowered the conversation and women everywhere. Of course, there wasn’t a strong social media presence in 1991 that could’ve catapulted the movement even further the way it has in 2017.
This isn’t all to say that social media is a surefire tool to give victims a voice. Though it has been instrumental in the 2017 #MeToo movement, this isn’t to say that every women who has been a victim of sexual misconduct is given the respect and attentiveness to speak out. It’s important to note that Burke and Hill are both women of color. When they started their movements, social media may not have been around, but the media in itself sure was. Women of color are often not paid as much attention or thought too because of both a conscious and unconscious bias towards them — and the media is often guilty of this as well. They’re given a harder time when they come forward, more skepticism about the truth of their allegations, and doubting of their credibility. The Weinstein scandal certainly created a movement among many women, but it’s also true that majority of Weinstein’s accusers were rich white women, garnering national attention and sympathy towards them. Being white certainly doesn’t make these women not victims, but does create an audience that is more receptive and appreciative of them coming forward. Given this, the Weinstein scandal may not have been the game changer that it was had it been more low profile, women of color.
In addition, though everyone seems to be on their devices everyday, it is true not everyone out there has the access to social media, and that not everyone is going to get the voice for their stories that a celebrity does, which has been the case given the well known accusations have been against famous men. The current dialogue is largely based on the fact it’s the men of Hollywood and politics, but it’s important not to forget that there are men everywhere who are sexually harassing and assaulting so many women.
Despite the improvements that need to be made towards making sure that the attention and respect is aimed towards all women and not a select few, the #MeToo movement has still been the the start of a reckoning women have been fighting for for years. The power of hashtags and social media has been able to propel the movement in a way that has never been done before, and it’s essential we keep the momentum. Hashtags tend to stop trending after a while — even now, the hashtag hasn’t been used as often as it was a month ago — but we can’t let women coming forward fade out with it. We need to make sure stories are heard, hold the men who have sexually assaulted women accountable, and create a narrative that will make the world a better place to live in. The hashtag in particular has brought an awareness in a way that has spread faster than ever before and allows multiple people to speak out all while seeing they are not alone. #MeToo isn’t just another trend like the Ice Bucket Challenge or the Harlem Shake, it’s a movement and form of activism that has a tool — social media — that can be a game changer for sexual misconduct. If we continue to capitalize on it as we have done as well as making sure each story is valued, we can make sure the hashtag and movement is not a trend, but just the beginning of the fight for victims of sexual misconduct.
