Social Media and Political Activism in 2020
The rising prevalence of social media has revolutionised activism. Just this summer, we saw ‘Blackout Tuesday’, numerous viral political Tik Toks, and protests coordinated through social media. While internet activism is not a new phenomenon, the age of COVID-19 has made digital outlets crucial to activist goals. Without the ability to host in-person events, social media gives organisations and individuals the ability to reach billions of people through their phones. Ostensibly, this digital reality is beneficial to activism, but we must not be naïve about its shortcomings.
I have witnessed first-hand how social media can be a force of change. Over the past four months, I’ve helped direct a social media campaign called Settle for Biden (@settleforbiden), which aims to convince progressives to vote for Joe Biden, even if he wasn’t their first choice candidate. This experience has not only been incredibly rewarding and taught me a great deal about grassroots activism, it has also opened up my eyes to the changing role of social media. Social media offers anyone the opportunity to be an activist – this is how Settle for Biden was born. A small group of young people came together and decided they wanted to do something to prevent Donald Trump from winning his re-election campaign in America. ‘Doing something’ no longer necessitates traditional activism, such as protesting, lobbying, or community building. Activism can be entirely virtual. Hence, Settle for Biden began as a mere Instagram account posting amateur political memes, and has since revolutionised into an influential movement that has reached millions of people, both directly through our digital content, and indirectly through our countless mentions in the news. This exemplifies one of the fundamental advantages to social media activism – it is accessible, easy, and can reach many more people than otherwise possible.
Recent trends have also demonstrated the powerful impacts of social media. Global matters have been suddenly put at the forefront of digital discussions; police brutality in America, the Uyghur Genocide in China, and the Beirut Explosion in Lebanon are just a few examples. Social media situates the locus of people’s attention not just to issues that immediately affect them, but ones around the world. Whereas one may have previously been strictly concerned with local matters, such as issues within their community, they are now informed of international affairs and can make their own judgements about them. Of course, not everyone may build empathy towards issues that do not affect them, but the proliferation of activist content on social media entails that people must at least be aware of such issues. Ignorance is less and less plausible.
Social media also unites people. The aftermath of George Floyd’s death in May triggered a social media spiral and escalated the world’s attention to the Black Lives Matter movement. Profile pictures were changed to a black and white fist, #Blacklivesmatter grew as a global rallying cry, and protests were coordinated and publicised through Instagram, Twitter, etc. Similar outcomes were seen with the #MeToo movement in 2017 when survivors of sexual assault and harassment spoke out about their experiences. In both instances, millions of people with similar experiences and similar concerns were united behind a screen. Furthermore, the world watched as these groups spoke with a unified voice and political leaders were forced to respond to demands of police reform and sexual assault accountability. It is surprising how much a hashtag can achieve.
Although social media can be instrumental to activism, we must be wary of its dangers. Unlike certain academic journals or credible news organisations, there is little ‘fact-checking’ within social media. Posts and tweets go viral for their cleverness, timeliness, powerful message, etc.; but these factors do not guarantee their correctness. Anyone behind a screen can create content, and even make up statistics to support or oppose a cause. Consequently, social media cannot be one’s sole source of political information or replace one’s engagement with traditional news due to the prospect of ‘fake news’.
Moreover, social media can be dangerous because it allows people to have a superficial level of political engagement. Even those with good intentions may fall prey to ‘performative activism’, where people show support for social justice for their own personal gain and social capital, rather than true devotion to a cause. ‘Blackout Tuesday’, where people posted black screens to protest racism, could be perceived as a social media trend that encouraged performative activism. It allowed people to do the bare minimum (post a black screen) and feel that they did something meaningful in the fight against racism. In reality, the black screen post is meaningless without tangible action to support it, such as community engagement, lobbying, protests, and fundraising. The virality of social justice posts may encourage tangible activism in certain cases, but it also allows complicity with surface-level activism. One may feel that they get a ‘free pass’ from taking further action if they participate in particular social media trends. On the other end, people may be shamed or even ‘cancelled’ for not participating in such trends, when in reality one’s decision to post or not post a black screen does not correlate to their values as a person. These trends may inadvertently legitimise superficial activism, where as a society, we determine how progressive someone is solely based on their digital platforms.
Although I criticise specific developments in social media activism, I do believe there are meaningful ways to participate in it. For instance, promoting informational content over performative content and encouraging tangible actions that go beyond the realm of social media. Nevertheless, we should be careful with our reliance upon digital activism. We must not forget the unparalleled collective strength of showing up, protesting, and really doing something about it.
