The power of social media on pro-activist movements Uprisings and movements have been at the basis of society since the dawn of humanity. They usually come in the form of revolutions such as seen in France, the United States, and Russia in the 20th century. Manifestations have a base goal of resolving a social issue. However, in history, social movements progressed slowly due to their inefficiency in spreading a belief and reaching entire populations. However with new social platforms that reality has changed.
For instance, in 2012, Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda, came under the global spotlight when millions of people publicly denounced him by sharing the video “Kony 2012” by Invisible Children, Inc, on Facebook. Another example is the Arab Spring, beginning in 2010, which was largely organized through the use of Twitter by spreading events and movements by word-of-mouth. These are examples of movements that relied on online social networks for their stature and success. The course of humanity has taken an unprecedented leap with the rise of social media.
A century ago information traveled via telegrams and took days to arrive from one country to another. Nowadays, with something as simple as a “tweet” or a “post”, information travels faster than ever before and can reach all corners of the globe within a matter of seconds. Social media allows activist movements to be more efficient, creating solutions for civil unrest in today’s society. Social media has proven to be a useful tool in disseminating information to people around the world and educating them about other’s issues.
The movie “Kony 2012” was produced with the purpose of promoting a charity called “Stop Kony”. This film was launched on YouTube on April 2012, reaching 100 million views and was shared millions of times on Facebook, bringing awareness to Joseph Kony’s horrific actions towards civilians in Uganda. The film was centered on the director’s, Jason Salles, crusade to impede the chief of the rebels. Joseph Kony used his power and authority to build an army of 66,000 child soldiers, who were treated horribly and were forced to go on murder rampages in benefit of their leader. Kony 2012)
The movie appealed to everyone’s finer feelings of the heart, encouraging social awareness over monstrosities faced by the children of Uganda. The movement shed a light on this desolate reality faced by many, which resulted on a broad campaign against Kony; causing the crowd to unit towards a common belief to stop Joseph Kony. Even though the film was not enough to stop the local rebel chief, it was nonetheless a step forward for people to become conscious of others’ realities and situations.
This collective consciousness would not have been possible without the assistance of all social media platforms. According to “The Guardian Journal”, 66% of all the conversations on Twitter in March 2012 were regarding Kony 2012. Over 6 million tweets about the subject were produced within a month of the video on YouTube being launched; more than 3. 6 million people pledged to Invisible Children’s Kony 2012 campaign, proving the power of social media. Furthermore, social media can unite and bring to action people of similar backgrounds fighting for a common cause.
The success of the Arab spring is due largely to people’s interactions on social platforms notably Facebook and Twitter. In the documentary, “How Facebook changed the world – the story of the Arab Spring”, it showed how Facebook and Twitter assisted millions to unite themselves through a common belief. The fuse of the Arab Spring was lit when Mohamed Bouazizi, a street vendor who was a victim of abusive authority by the police force, went to his town hall to manifest his frustration, however his complaints were not answered.
With no hope, the poor man decided to burn himself. When Bouazizi was burning in front of town hall, bystanders filmed the hideous event that took place in front of their eyes in hope to bring light to Bouazizi’s cause. Their videos were shared on Facebook causing an uproar of people to congregate at town hall the next day. The horrid video caused viewers around the world to attain a social consciousness of the events that were happening out of their sight. (How Facebook Changed the World-The story of the Arab Spring).
Along side Facebook, Twitter also had a great impact on this social activist movement. People used the social network to coordinate the protests and help inform of police roadblocks, helping to avoid confrontations with the police force. Ov social networks served as platforms to organize and promote protests, manifestations, and riots occurring in countries participating in the Arab Spring. Through social media, notably Twitter and Facebook, people’s voices became louder throughout the world and the response to these issues was organized with an efficiency never seen before.