#hashtagactivism

[arvianijlal-blog]

Breaking the Noise: The Social Media Surge

With billions of users online at any given moment, social media has evolved into a vibrant space where political discourse, social activism, and consumer trends collide. Gone are the days when people merely scrolled through posts for entertainment; these platforms have graduated into influential channels capable of swaying elections, jumpstarting social movements, and redefining cultural norms.

Why does this matter? Because the speed and reach of platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok dwarf traditional broadcasting models. What once took news outlets days 'if not weeks' to disseminate can now spread in a matter of hours, sometimes even minutes.

The Power Players: Influencers, Hashtags, and Digital Communities

Influencers as Opinion Leaders Traditional gatekeepers: editors, journalists, or broadcasting executives are no longer the sole arbiters of public discourse. Diffusion of Innovations (Rogers, 1962) highlights the pivotal role “opinion leaders” play in spreading new ideas. On social media, these opinion leaders can be popular vloggers, niche experts, or even regular citizens who capture the moment’s zeitgeist.

Hashtags and Collective Action The hashtag culture has become a digital rallying cry, turning local issues into international discussions. A single hashtag can unite voices worldwide, giving rise to movements like #ClimateStrike or #MeToo. What used to be fragmented protest efforts now find coherence and momentum online.

Digital Communities for Shared Passions Facebook groups, subreddits, and specialized forums foster micro-communities. Whether it’s a group dedicated to sustainable living or a fandom for the latest pop star, these spaces enable deeper engagement, trust-building, and collective problem-solving among members.

The Flip Side: Risks in the Age of Hyperconnectivity

Misinformation and Echo Chambers When information travels at lightning speed, so do rumors and falsehoods. Despite fact-checking initiatives, viral hoaxes and conspiracy theories remain persistent, often amplified by echo chambers, online circles where users are only exposed to content that reaffirms their existing beliefs.

Privacy and Ethical Concerns Social platforms often collect vast amounts of user data, raising questions about surveillance, targeted ads, and data breaches. Striking a balance between personalization and privacy has become a pressing issue for both policymakers and tech companies.

Mental Health Implications The dopamine rush from receiving likes, shares, or follows can be addictive, fueling obsessive usage. Meanwhile, cyberbullying and social comparisons exacerbate feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and depression among vulnerable users, particularly teenagers.

Strategies for a Healthier Digital Landscape

Promote Media Literacy Embedding critical thinking and digital literacy in school curricula can empower the next generation to navigate information responsibly.

Engage Responsibly Taking breaks from social media, verifying sources, and participating in constructive debates can foster a more meaningful online experience.

Balanced Regulation Governments and tech giants must collaborate on policies that curb dangerous content, like hate speech or disinformation without stifling free expression.

Conclusion: Crafting Tomorrow’s Online Culture

Social media isn’t inherently good or bad; it’s a mirror reflecting our collective aspirations and fears. It can amplify social reform, but it can also magnify divisions. As digital citizens, we shoulder the responsibility to shape these platforms into tools for progress whether by championing marginalized voices, verifying facts before sharing, or advocating for transparency and accountability.

In the end, the true measure of social media’s impact lies in how we harness it: as a bridge that connects us or as a fault line that divides us. The choice is ours to make.

[anetasblog]

The Role of Social Media in Social Justice Movements: Marketing with a Conscience

In recent years, social media has evolved into a powerful tool for amplifying voices, fostering awareness, and driving social justice movements. Platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook provide activists with an unparalleled ability to connect globally, share real-time information, and galvanize support for their causes.

For businesses, this evolution presents an opportunity to engage in marketing with a conscience. By aligning their brand values with social justice causes, companies can foster authentic connections with socially conscious consumers. However, it’s crucial for brands to approach these issues genuinely, ensuring their support is not performative but rooted in real action and change.

Hashtags have become more than just a marketing tool; they are a symbol of solidarity. When used effectively, they amplify messages and allow movements to reach a broader audience. Brands using hashtags like SocialJustice or Equality should ensure they are contributing meaningfully to the conversation, rather than exploiting it for commercial gain.

In this era, marketing is no longer just about selling products it's about standing for something bigger. Social media offers brands a platform to make a difference, but with that comes responsibility. To truly market with a conscience, companies must be active participants in the fight for justice, not mere spectators.

#SocialJustice

#MarketingWithPurpose

#StandForSomething

#EqualityMatters

#AmplifyVoices

#HashtagActivism

#BrandsForChange

#MarketingForGood

#SocialImpact

#ConsciousMarketing

[emergingmediaculture]

Graphic created by Kiersten W. on Canva.

I feel as though we have discussed a good bit about the issues of internet life and some of its negative effects, however, that leaves out the entire story. I find it just as important to highlight the benefits as well. One of the most notable is the communities and cultures that have been given a voice when they otherwise had none.

For centuries, it has been mostly those with some form of influence or power whose voices were the loudest. Those were the only ones that mattered. Even more, those were the only people who could afford to get their voices and opinions out there. Historically, the makeup of those people has been white men.

The digital age we now live in, however, has provided opportunities for marginalized groups of different races, ethnicities, sexualities, and more.

Sarah Jackson, Moya Bailey, and Brooke Foucault Welles discuss in #HashtagActivism the power online platforms like Twitter have given to those who would otherwise be voiceless. These platforms give these groups the power to hold the powerful accountable.

More so, it allows for a collection of people with similar backgrounds, experiences, or concerns to connect with one another or spread awareness through the very powerful tool of the #hashtag. It is the hashtag, as the authors believe, that helps collectives form, make people visible to one another, and cohere and sustain movements against injustice.

Movements such as #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter are specifically named after their hashtags that spread across social media platforms allowing individuals to share their own experiences, call for justice, offer support, and more. It is the reach that hashtags have across all platforms that helps propel these movements exposing them to wider audiences.

History is always said to repeat itself and, to me, this instance of groups having to utilize the tools they have and put it upon themselves to get their experiences out there because it is common for them to not have the opportunities to share them in many ways mirrors the past, specifically the creation of what was referred to as the "Black Press". As African-American journalism is a topic of this book as well, it is only right to mention it.

For the longest time, it was extremely uncommon to find newspapers reporting on anything about black people or anything happening within the black community outside anything negative. After getting tired of hardly ever seeing their stories or anything regarding their community included in the newspapers, in the early 1800s a group of African-Americans decided they would create their own. This started what came to be known as the Black Press, whose contributors included the likes of Ida B. Wells, Frederick Douglass, and the "First Lady of the Black Press", Ethel Payne.

I see similarities in what the lack of a voice in the flow of society for marginalized groups has birthed across history. In so many instances it has started movements and I feel now the accessibility to do so is so much more apparent. Though everything comes at a cost, so many more people have access, resources, and reach, unlike any time before us.

[lavieestbellebelle]

Examples of Hashtag Activism Promoting Gender Equality (#9)...

Continuing on from my previous blog post on political engagement, platform publics, ‘clicktavism’ and hashtag activism, I thought I would feature some more detail on a couple of the hashtag activism movements that were mentioned in my last post...

#HeForShe - this campaign was initiated by the United Nations in June 2014, with the main goal to achieve equality by encouraging both genders to partake as agents of change and dismantle toxic and demeaning gender stereotypes and behaviours. The campaign includes Emma Watson and Justin Trudeau as spokespeople. 

You can read more about the #HeForShe movement here: https://www.heforshe.org/en

#MeToo - Tarana Burke was the first person to use this hashtag in 2006 to ‘promote empowerment through empathy’, however the hashtag truly reached viral status in 2017 when famous Hollywood actresses began encouraging other women to share their experiences with sexual harassment and assault on Twitter. The #MeToo movement continues today, with the overall aim of significantly reducing the stigma around speaking about sexual assault and to ultimately end the violence inflicted upon women from the patriarchy. 

You can read more about the #MeToo movement here: https://metoomvmt.org/

#DressLikeAWoman - this hashtag activism movement was instigated after a report alleged that President Trump preferred women to “dress like women”. Women took to Twitter to turn this phrase on its head, posting photos of themselves wearing their interpretation of the dress code and to promote an empowering message - that women are equal to men, nothing less. 

You can read more about the #DressLikeAWoman movement here:

https://www.bustle.com/p/dress-like-a-woman-twitter-hashtag-nails-the-absurdity-of-dress-code-double-standards-35341

[taylorafergus]

#yesallwomen

Sasha Weiss of the New Yorker weekly magazine offers an in-depth interpretation and anecdote into the #yessallwomen hashtag. Her elucidation provides a deeper analysis of the events that lead to the emergence of the #YesAllWomen hashtag on Twitter.

If you are interested in reading the article I have attached a URL below:

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-power-of-yesallwomen

[emilyg12-commclass-blog]

Activism VS Slacktivism

         The influence of social media has skyrocketed and continues to advance on a daily basis. The amount of people that are connected on social media, which is millions, makes the internet a great platform for bringing awareness to issues in our world today. Platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram make it easier to see what celebrities are thinking about, doing and even promoting. Social media as a whole,  gives many celebrities a mass following of fans that wouldn't have been possible to have in the past before technology. Since America was created we have been standing up for what we believe, in recent years we have gone back to being activists. We as a people have gone out in the streets with signs and speeches to make necessary changes to our society. Now with so much access to technology with millions able to see our posts, we brought our activism to these social media platforms. Online it can be known as #Hashtag Activism, people will create hashtags to start a trend and bring awareness to a movement. The most known were movements such as the  #MeToo, #BlackLivesMatter, #HandsUpDontShoot, #BringBackOurGirls, and the #YesAllWomen movement. The amount of hashtag activism that these movements received was out of this world, the question still stands to ask if the online circulation made a change.

[lrsundevil]

When asked how important social media is to them personally as a venue for political and civic engagement, only a minority of social media users describe these sites as personally important. But blacks and Hispanics are especially likely to value these sites for helping them vocalize their opinions or get involved with issues that are important to them.

Pew Research Center

[turnanewpaige]

Hashtag Activism

There is a substantial push in today’s generation to make real social change, utilizing online platforms. The term “Hashtag activism” applies to the use of social media hashtags to reach a large audience through which to spread social justice initiatives. Examples of this in recent years would be #blacklivesmatter, #stopasianhate, and #metoo, all of which have spurned real world movements that have had tangible consequences. With that being said, the real changes come not from just retweets and shares but the concentrated efforts of activists to contact politicians and protest to demand change. Hashtags and social media activism are powerful tools to garner attention for a cause and get more people involved, but without effort outside of the social media sphere, hashtags mean very little. 

[apattiproduction]

Have you ever superimposed a flag over your Facebook profile picture? Retweeted a #hashtag? Signed an online petition? Or shared a video of social injustice or economic inequity? If you answered yes to any of these, you may be guilty of slacktivism. But in my opinion, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

[giofvcks]

#HashtagActivism is tomorrow! Time: 11 am to 1 pm Location: Factory Two RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hashtagactivism-how-to-use-social-media-to-influence-change-tickets-35494504017 #activist #activism #civicengagement #volunteer #socialmedia #media #paneldiscussion #entrepreneur #entrepreneurlife #entrepreneurlifestyle #FlintLivesMatter #FlintMichigan #facebook #instagram #tumblr #twitter #regram #repost #retweet #Reshare #FactoryTwo (at Flint, Michigan)

[rajachanpreetsingh]

"Until you value yourself, you won't value your time. Until you value your time, you won't do anything with it." # “Don't bury your failures. Let them inspire you.” # "Intuition is the very force or activity of the soul in its experience through whatever has been the experience of the soul itself."  hashtag#activism hashtag#soul hashtag#lettings hashtag#inspiration hashtag#life hashtag#datamining hashtag#scientist hashtag#carleton hashtag#university hashtag#canada hashtag#ottawa hashtag#careerservices hashtag#careerfairs hashtag#humanservices hashtag#HCI hashtag#CHI #2019 hashtag#brainstorming hashtag#artificialinteligence hashtag#artificialneuralnetworks 

[daintydame]

😐 Scary af. #codeblue #indivisible #tyt #hashtagactivism #resist #womensmarch #wnyc #blacklivesmatter #tyty #stephenmiller #notmypresident #puppet

[lavieestbellebelle]

Political Engagement, Platform Publics, ‘Clicktavism’ & Hashtag Activism (week 9)

A core aspect of digital citizenship is political engagement, such as voting, as well as “engagement outside the election process” (Stickels 2020), including activism and campaigning. According to Luke Stickels, a campaigner, communication consultant and community organiser, a campaign can be defined as a “project of linked actions organised towards achieving a particular goal”, whether this be political, social, business or marketing (Stickels 2020). According to The Change Agency, a theory of change can “help guide campaigners, their teams and communities” (Whelan 2020). The Change Agency propose a three part format to train campaigners to clarify their theory of change and ensure it will have their desired impact on society. This strategy includes – “if” (we implement these tactics and activities), “then” (this will create change or lead to a political outcome), and “because” (some persuasive causal logic, such as why).

Due to the enormous reach afforded by social media platforms, campaigns can quickly develop online, particularly through hashtags such as #WomensMarch, #BlackLivesMatter, #BringBackOurGirls and #HeForShe. Amongst many others, these campaigns originated from hashtag activism. Brooke Foucault Welles, assistant professor of online activism, explains her perspective on hashtag activism, as where people “use hashtags in order to denote things or issues of political or personal meaning in order to gain traction in the mainstream” (SAGE publications 2019). Continuing on, Welles notes that “hashtag publics capture mainstream news attention”, which is perhaps what makes them so powerful (SAGE publications 2019). Therefore, these aforementioned examples of hashtag activism have been developed to bring people together on a global scale through the power and reach of social media networks. It’s also worth noting that the majority of these campaigns have also been promoted and backed by well-known celebrities and spokespeople in this field, including Emma Watson and Michelle Obama, which helps the campaign’s messages reach more people.

Another key aspect of digital communities relating to political engagement and activism are platform publics, which are facilitated through social media channels, including Tumblr, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. For example, writer and media expert, Luke Stickels analyses the platform publics formed on Twitter in this week’s lecture, describing the platform as a place with users create strong and defined identities, ‘hashtag battlefronts’, and accessible archives of their thoughts and opinions on various topics (Stickels 2020). Another important point Brooke Foucault Welles raised is the idea of networked counterpublics, which Welles believes “essentially fill a gap in our understanding of how people communication online (SAGE publications 2019). Therefore, the term counterpublics has been coined to describe the way that people considered on the margins of society, who aren’t necessarily included in mainstream conversations, particularly in the news and other media, can come together and form their own online communities (SAGE publications 2019). Ultimately, Welles explains, these online interactivity is intended to advance their counterpublics by “pushing them into these mainstream publics” in order to have their voices and stories heard by a wider audience.

In a similar vein to platform publics and hashtag activism, ‘clicktavism’ is another term used to describe the rise of political engagement, especially online activism. However, this terminology has been met with mixed opinions from media scholars and activists. For instance, in an interview with The Guardian, Larissa Ocampo, online community manager at ‘One Girl’ and specialist in the not-for-profit space, describes ‘clicktavism’ as a step towards activism, arguing in favour of this new movement. Ocampo explains that “the ease and convenience of online actions (clicks, likes, tweets and shares)” is an innovative and game-changing way of introducing more people to activism in ways that aren’t intimidating and are accessible for the majority of people (Banning-Lover 2014). Whereas, Micah White, the original creator of the Occupy Wall Street protests, believes ‘clicktavism’ is “fatally flawed”, reducing this new wave of activism to “meme wars” and “propagat[ing] a false theory of social change” (Banning-Lover 2014).

Therefore, it is clear that terminology relating to online activism has created polarizing perspectives on the validity and effectiveness of the increasing popularity of digital activism. However, despite these varied opinions as to the benefits and consequences of online activism, digital communities formed on these social media platforms are evidently helping pave the wave for change in society. This can be in the form of incremental or huge ways, including raising awareness, helping reduce stigma around particular issues or raising significant funds for their associated charities.

Image Credit: ‘For All Womankind’ Illustration Poster by Deva Pardue 2016.

References

Alvarez, N, Lauzon, C & Zaiontz, K 2019, ‘On sustainable tools for precarious times: An introduction’, in N Alvarez, C, Lauzon & K, Zaiontz (eds), Sustainable tools for precarious times, Palgrave Macmillian, Switzerland, pp. 1-25.

Banning-Lover, R 2014, ‘How to campaign online: 15 dos and don’ts’, The Guardian, 15 July, viewed 14 May 2020, <https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2014/jul/15/16-dos-and-donts-of-online-campaigning-clicktivism-digital-activism-kony>.

Foucault Welles, B 2019, Researching online activism using social network analysis, SAGE Publications Ltd, London, viewed 14 May 2020, <https://methods-sagepub-com.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/video/researching-online-activism-using-social-network-analysis>.

Hitchings-Hales, J & Calderwood, I 2017, ‘8 massive moments hashtag activism really, really worked’, Global Citizen, 23 August, viewed 16 May 2020, <https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/hashtag-activism-hashtag10-twitter-trends-dresslik/>.

One Girl 2020, Why girls?, One Girl, viewed 15 May 2020, <https://www.onegirl.org.au/our-impact/why-girls>.

Stickels, L 2020, ‘Week 9. Digital activism and campaigning’, MDA20009 Digital communities, Learning materials via Canvas, Swinburne University of Technology, 13 May, viewed 13 May 2020.

Whelan, J 2020, ‘Theories of change’, The Change Agency, 21 April, viewed 15 May 2020, <http://www.thechangeagency.org/theories-of-change/>.

White, M, Alvarez, N & Zaiontz, K 2019, ‘Protest after Occupy: Rethinking the repertoires of left activism’, in N Alvarez, C, Lauzon & K, Zaiontz (eds), Sustainable tools for precarious times, Palgrave Macmillian, Switzerland, pp. 27-40.

[viralnews-1]

There Is No Replacement for Black Twitter

There Is No Replacement for Black Twitter

Of course, that kind of loss would be immeasurable. “Black Twitter has reflected a fuller scope of Blackness, and a rejection of respectability,” says Sarah J. Jackson, a professor of communications at the University of Pennsylvania and coauthor of #HashtagActivism. “It has modeled what a healthy public sphere might look like, from the call-ins and callouts to the community debates about…

[emilyg12-commclass-blog]

pt 2 - Real Acts of Activism

            The actual act of activism is described as a continuous and vigorous campaigning used to make a social change. With the addictive use of social media with millions of people always online, it doesn't take long to use social media to try and make a social change. “Hashtags get a lot of flak, often typecast as frivolous symbols used by lazy millennials, but a deep dive into the hashtag activism of the past few years proves that they can be more impactful than you’d expect” (Marie Claire, 2018) As stated earlier, regular activism has shifted to Hashtag activism to reach a larger platform across the world. The movement that has shown the most activism online and offline is the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Online activism includes proactive actions to achieve a common goal or reactive actions against certain controls and the imposing authorities (McCaughey and Ayers, 2013) On the Black Lives Matter website there is a tab that takes says, “Take Action”, this is where you can look and find where marches or speeches are taking place near you. This movement is much more consistent and rewarding because they bring up the positive outcomes of the movement, as well as the corruption that people are trying to hide, all gets brought to the light online. With all good acts that can help make a change there will always be people who take advantage of that power. It is becoming more and more common to find people online that look like they are promoting for a movement. However, not everyone is all of a sudden a full blown activist, they will pretend to be online to get attention as well as boost their reputation.

[solidarishkeyt]

In the absence of working-class institutions that could build and exercise political power, capital benefits from Twitter’s ability to distract, isolate, and anesthetize users, precluding an environment of solidarity and instead perpetuating an impotent discourse that is fundamentally corrosive to the political and social formations necessary for productive movement-building.

Any information or activity more complicated and less disposable than a hashtag will eventually require stable institutions that can grow, build, and recruit in real space and real time. These institutions do not resemble the tyrannically structureless and voluntarist cattle calls of whatever fleeting online mob has made the rounds this week. Any use of the internet for movement-building should be considered with the ultimate goal of social media’s obsolescence, and its supplantation by unions, parties, and political organizations.

Activism must return to the traditional strategies of organizing and institution-building that have demonstrated a true record of success. This work will not move quickly, and most of it won’t be cinematic or produce a flurry of media attention, online or off. Most important, it cannot rely on the very platforms over which we have the least amount of control. Some seem to think that social media will act as the proverbial capitalist that sells us its own hanging rope — and this does have some small truth in it, to the degree it can be used as a bulletin board for promoting real-life events, but such organizing is the most flimsy and minor outreach. A desperate activist tweets. An aspiring activist uses Facebook. A fledgling organizer emails. An established organizer has phone numbers. A successful organizer is offered addresses.

It’s appropriate that #HashtagActivism is dedicated to “those who insist on being heard.” Social media may provide an immediate connection to a mass of sound and fury signifying nothing, but you do have a voice, however impotent, and you can insist on being heard. For those of us insisting on power, however, it offers less than nothing.