In this age of social media, activism has taken a turn that many people are on the fence about. Social media activism has been growing in popularity, but many are concerned about whether it is more performative than helpful.
While there are plenty of examples of social media activism done wrong, let’s take a look at 5 times it made a difference.
- #WhyIStayed
In early 2014, video footage was released of NFL player Ray Rice dragging his then-fiancé out of an elevator. Shortly after the footage was released, the couple got married and stayed together even after more footage was released of Rice abusing wife Janay. As the footage began circulating around news sources, the issue of domestic abuse was brought into public conversation.
Beverley Gooden, who herself had left an abusive husband after nearly a year of enduring the abuse, began sharing her story, using the hashtag #WhyIStayed. Gooden stated that she was frustrated by the blame that was being placed on Janay for staying with Rice even though she was being abused. The hashtag shortly began trending as more and more people shared the stories of the difficulties that are associated with leaving an abusive relationship.
We’ve all seen the videos of people all around the world getting cold water dumped on their heads in a show of support for the ASL Association and their research into amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ASL). The hashtag and challenge raised not only donations, but awareness for the organization and what they are working towards.
Many organizations since have attempted to replicate the Ice Bucket Challenge, none with such success as the ASL Association.
3. #HeForShe
The HeForShe organization works to promote gender equality. Gender equality and feminism are very often tied together, and because of this, the movement had relatively few male supporters. The hashtag #heforshe began trending primarily when actress Emma Watson began sharing and posting about the movement and organization on twitter using #heforshe. Since then, participation in the organization and movement has skyrocketed, allowing events and the important conversations held within them to occur all over the world.
This hashtag lends support to the Stop Funding Hate organization that pushes advertisers to stop partnering with organizations and companies that have demonstrated hate in any form. Through the sharing the #StopFundingHate hashtag, enough support was gathered for multiple advertisers to cut ties with a prominent newspaper in the UK that had spoken out against refugees.
The most recent hashtag activism to come across our screens is the #BlackLivesMatter movement. This hashtag appeared for the first time in 2013, but has been gaining momentum since then as police violence against people of color has continued.
After the murder of George Floyd in May of 202, the hashtag swept through social media at volumes that it never had before. Through the outrage of the Black community and allies, there were many reforms made in police departments across the nation, as well as in criminal justice practices and procedures as a whole.
