I realize I am late to the social party, but I usually am. You might have notice that many of your friends on Facebook have replaced their profile photo with the equal sign, as a way to show support for gay marriage. Showing your support for a cause is nothing new to Facebook, but are you really doing anything simply by changing your Facebook photo? What social change are you really bringing about? Susan Kohn had a most apt point when she said “Internet activism is individualistic. It’s great for a sense of interconnectedness but the Internet does not bind individuals in shared struggle the same as the the face-to-face activism of the 1960s and 70s did. It allows us to channel our individual power for good, but it stops there… real challenges in our society… won’t politely go away with a few clicks of the mouse.” Social media can bring about change, but there needs to be organization, and real action behind it. Swapping a photo, or signing an online petition is often meaningless, because there is little effort behind it. Whereas when the Arab Spring burned through Egypt they used it to organize, and mobilize the opposition to the streets. Even when the police tried to clamp down on the opposition they had no idea even how to go about it. This media was new to them, and efforts at intimidation only backfired. When organizers were beaten they uploaded their wounds to Facebook and Twitter, when the police beat protesters, they had their phones out to capture it and put in online. This is the new social activism, and the way social media can help the world.
ColleenBurke85