Some of the biggest recent movements in our society have started through social media campaigns, including #MeToo, Black Lives Matter, Occupy Wall Street, and the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.
Not only does social media facilitate the ability to organize and get the word out about events that are happening to promote a certain cause, but it also allows for the rapid sharing of content to a global audience. Social media facilitates digital activism- shown by nearly two-thirds of social media users having participated in social media politics at some point (George & Leidner, 2019). However, it also creates a lot of low-level action opportunities as well. Digital activism via social media activities can be separated into more passive activities (liking/endorsing a post written about a cause or by a politician, following certain individuals or groups to see their content, researching through posts made by others) to more active ones (sharing/retweeting, commenting, reposting, and content creation).
Use social media to get involved with organizations that are focused on a social justice issue that you are passionate about, follow the legislators that represent you, and create content to share with others that advocates for social justice. Use your voice and social media presence to help make a difference.
For more information about social media advocacy, check out our resources and tools HERE.
Source:
George, J. J., & Leidner, D. E. (2019). From clicktivism to hacktivism: Understanding digital activism. Information and Organization, 29(3), 1-63. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jordana-George/publication/332738189_From_Clicktivism_to_Hacktivism_Understanding_Digital_Activism/links/5cc72f7792851c8d220e4e5f/From-Clicktivism-to-Hacktivism-Understanding-Digital-Activism.pdf