How does Digital Activism On Social Media Impact social justice causes such as the BLM movement? by Hadiyah Zaman

hadiyah421 — 2024-03-14 11:24:44 UTC

In today's digital age when we think about activism, we think about how certain movements are spread through social media. Digital activism reinforces this compared to traditional activist behaviour using online platforms to promote social, political and economic change, allowing the media to shape social justice causes. Social media allows people worldwide to connect, engage in discussions, share information and create impacts in movements such as Black Lives Matter (BLM) and fight for racial justice and change. Compared to traditional activism ‘modern digital activism lies in social movements and the organisations that promise the causes of social movement’ (George, Jordana and Wicker, 2019). This research aims to explore the question of how digital activism on social media, influences social justice causes, with a focus on the BLM movement, by examining how digital activism influences public reactions, and societal change making it viral and impactful, giving us insights on effectiveness and significance.

hadiyah421 — 2024-03-14 11:28:08 UTC

Compared to normal activist behaviour, digital activism has allowed a wide spread of knowledge to be passed whether this is the involvement of campaigns and movements or for mainstream media to share awareness of what is going on as a whole. Hillstrom,2018, Prendergast, 2017 and Wortham, 2016 suggested that “ The Ability of interactive digital platforms such as, for instance, Twitter, to record and broadcast events, as well as fact-check what the established mass media say, has created a potent counterbalance to mass media news reporting” The idea of having mass media involved is effective in terms of real-time reporting. This is when activists and mass media use media platforms to report on activist events, for example, protests, marches, boycotts etc. Mass media involvement usually refers to the cause being live streamed on social media, like Instagram or Facebook or live streamed on worldwide news reportings. Social media has allowed people all over to come together as a community spreading and sharing voices across the media, including participants in the BLM movement, ‘social media, a collection of web and technology-based platforms, creates spaces where a multitude of both similar and dissimilar individuals and communities can share news and discuss common interests (Kietzmann et al, 2011). The media has allowed movements like the BLM to spread by allowing an individual to share their personal experiences, grievances and demands towards racial injustice and police brutality. Digital activism has allowed messages to reach people around the world sharing personal experiences, and allowing individuals to demand change and call for justice. There are equally both strengths and limitations to having digital activism spread certain movements across social media. Digital activism offers many strengths which contribute to its effectiveness in achieving social change such as allowing campaigns like the BLM movement to reach global audiences and allowing activists online to promote and engage in activist behaviour towards the cause such as marches, protests etc. Digital activism allows audiences from all over to gather similar interests and engage in what they feel is important to them. There are however limitations that Digital activism faces arguably making it less effective. One major concept is the idea of “Clicktivism” referring to the act of individuals taking part in online activism but putting in minimal effort or commitment as if only taking it to be a part of a true or popular movement across social media. While it may not seem as problematic this sort of behaviour usually does not lead to any real change, unlike behaviour such as actively participating and demonstrating advocacy efforts on social media which reinforces change.

hadiyah421 — 2024-03-14 11:29:22 UTC

hadiyah421 — 2024-03-14 11:30:06 UTC

Social media despite having its disadvantages has allowed activists to advocate for change using social media platforms for online petitions, campaigns, social media challenges, and online protests as well as using influencers with popular fan bases to use their platforms and advocate for change from their following allowing for there to be more of an impact. George, Jordana J., and Leidner,(2019) argue that social movement does not guarantee organisational success or even if it will gain any intention or followers, and social movements can and do exist outside of taking any action to promote their cause. When applying this back to the BLM movement we see that as an effective movement, due to it becoming a trending topic on the internet, with celebrities everywhere joining in on their heavy follower-based platform to raise their views. Whether a campaign or movement is on social media does not mean it will be as effective as such a campaign but how digital activism is used today, and how it is addressed to its targeted audience can mean it becoming an effective movement. For example, these use popular apps, such as TikTok, and videos of the BLM movement spread, allowing people all over to save, share and repost these videos.

hadiyah421 — 2024-03-14 11:38:09 UTC

It can be argued the Black Lives Matter movement was effective due to its display of activist behaviour across social media platforms. Due to platforms like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, the use of hashtags such as ‘#BlackLivesMatter’ allowed individuals to post under the hashtag, gaining more views and becoming a part of a community fighting back for racial prejudice. Santos and Reis (2022) argue that the increasing dispute for online attention made digital strategies such as hashtag activism a key competent of social movements depending on how effective the hashtag becomes for example on TikTok, the hashtag Black Right Matter movement was trending allowing everyone to repost and create content with that hashtag as a form of an online advocation/rights movement.

This use of the hashtag allowed for the BLM’s message to be spread across the net both nationally and internationally. Arguably digital activism has provided the BLM movement the means to spread voices, challenge views and widespread support growing its effectiveness for advocating the rights to racial justice and a change in the system. When looking online and how the BLM movement was presented online we see the medium theory coming into focus, Meyrowit (2019) argues the medium theory focuses on how the properties of several types of mediums or media can influence behaviours, interactions, identities and the social life structures of its users. Taking this into account activists can take on different mediums in how they want to communicate and broadcast their message, through social media platforms they were able to share, repost and mobilise support from one another, unlike traditional media where trying to reach border audiences may be limited. Factors like video sharing and real-time live footage have allowed activists online to gain emotional responses globally, spreading public opinion and support for the BLM movement. However, this in turn can be looked down upon as it changes the use of communication mediums in which traditional activist behaviour demonstrates compared to that which digital activism displays.

Bennet and Segerberg(2012), Fenton (2012), and Blaagaard and Roslyng (2022) argue that “New digital media have changed the way activism is mobilized: from collective politics of change to a connective hydra of causes claimed and pursued by a variety of stakeholders enabled and made visible by digital media networks”.

Digital activism has allowed activism to move forward in the modern age allowing social and political movements to reach larger audiences and for the chance of change to be a quicker process than traditional methods of activism before the digital age. However, the downfall of digital activism is unlike traditional activism, those who consume, quite a bit of a particular activist's campaign or issue, are more likely to become biased or manipulated, due to connecting with digital spaces. Unlike traditional activist campaigns where it was hard to find spaces or groups to be manipulated by and simply acted upon what they believed in themselves.

hadiyah421 — 2024-03-14 11:41:13 UTC

Overall my research looks at online communities and how they use digital activism to implement effectiveness to a campaign and movement like the BLM. I felt virtual ethnography was best suited as it means I can study online spaces and interactions on social media in which audiences come together and interact, studying how they behave and interact in which movements like the BLM spread and trend causing impacts for future change. Atkinson, et al. (2001, p.4) argues that ethnography has always been open to interpretation and has “never been a stable entity”. As social media is changing so is the way ethnography is looked at when studying people and their cultures across social media. As I am studying digital activism and the impact it has on social justice causes as the BLM movement matters like my own views may affect how I take on certain comments within the media platforms I will be analysing which will be TikTok hence I have to study each comment with an open mind considering how online communities have caused an impact and why social media is playing a big role in bringing these online communities together. My overall focus will be looking at and understanding how people interact on TikTok understanding how their actions affect movements like the BLM, what challenges they face and how they are making a difference.

Analysis 1:

hadiyah421 — 2024-03-14 11:55:28 UTC

hadiyah421 — 2024-03-14 11:59:03 UTC

Morton and Duck,2000, argue social identity is part of an individual self-concept that derives from knowledge of one's membership in a social group (or groups) along with the values and significance of that association. The way online spaces interact with activity behaviour demonstrated through real live footage can be interpreted as “clicktivism” or associating due to their beliefs and identity. Still, also there tends to be more of a connection between connecting and bringing certain activists together through being able to identify with each other and connecting through each other personal identity. This impacts social justice causes as those who feel a personal connection to the cause all tend to share comments and like and become a part of this online circle. This idea is that one's sense of self is determined by the importance and relevance placed on group membership to which one belongs(Turner & Oaks,1986). Self-relevance towards certain advocation for, political, economic and environmental change impacts social justice causes through a sense of connectivity between audiences, for example, social media engagement gives the chance to activists to support each other, share support and ideas, also a sense of coming together and building this reunion around the world just through the use of one social media platform.

hadiyah421 — 2024-03-14 12:14:50 UTC

hadiyah421 — 2024-03-14 12:21:30 UTC

With media platforms like TikTok, individuals can show love to others' interactions and comments and apply them to what they feel or want to add. By analysing how audiences were interacting with this certain video I was able to identify how digital activists use media platforms like TikTok for example posting videos under the hashtag and reposting real-time footage they know will make others want to be a part of it. It is clear activists online impact the BLM movement through similarities between mediums - having a medium that can influence their interactions, identities and social life (Meyrowitz, 2019) for example all wanting to have justice within the system of America and having a fair and justice law system.

Analysis 2:

hadiyah421 — 2024-03-14 12:29:52 UTC

hadiyah421 — 2024-03-14 12:30:32 UTC

hadiyah421 — 2024-03-14 12:42:19 UTC

In each video I looked into whether there was a low level of interaction that reed or disagreed I began to realise the creators who had posted the videos had some level of involvement, demonstrating their perspective and stance in the BLM movement. Vitak et al (2011) argue that even a low level of action on social media may lead to greater involvement such as volunteering and is intensified if others in social networks are equally involved. Originally this video received 11k views and the comments all formed a biased stance of “Clicktivism” only typing what they had thought and not actively participating there thoughts on the BLM. However, this form of interaction gained another 13k views, making it understandable that those who are equally involved can make an activist campaign spread. I was able to understand how interactions were made from a stone for an activist viewpoint yet was limited in the sense of how their interactions made a video like this spread.

hadiyah421 — 2024-03-14 12:57:48 UTC

In conclusion, I was able to get an insight into the impact of online interaction through media platforms like TikTok and how it affects special justice causes like the BLM movement in both positive and negative ways. This study allows the importance of understanding the complexity of digital activism and the effect it has on digital activism in this digital age, and when comparing it to traditional activism digital activism has allowed activist movements to be spread globally giving out more of an impact compared to traditional activist movements.

hadiyah421 — 2024-03-14 12:58:50 UTC

hadiyah421 — 2024-03-14 13:01:14 UTC

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hadiyah421 — 2024-03-24 22:18:09 UTC