Title: Social Media as Activism and Social Justice | Maryville Online
Headings: A Guide to Activism in the Digital Age
A Guide to Activism in the Digital Age
How Social Media and Activism Work Together
ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
Arab Spring
Black Lives Matter
#LoveWins
#MeToo
Occupy Wall Street
How Social Media Can Promote Social Justice
Coordinating Community Responses
Platforming Lived Experiences
Promoting and Planning Events
Sharing Pictures and Videos
Signal Boosting
Utilize the College Population
Best Social Media Strategies for Nonprofits
Fundraising
Partnering with Influencers
Promoting Events
Sharing Stories
Spreading Awareness

Content: Facebook pages and groups created spaces for gathering and community building, sharing stories and information on the ground, and organization for protests in real time. Studies found that though social media helped spark many of the protests through online mobilization, its greatest impact was “acting more as a megaphone than a rallying cry.” The dissemination of information by sharing local self-generated news translating into mass and international media brought the issues and events into the global discussion. This resulted in international pressure against the violent reactions of autocratic regimes to protesters. Black Lives Matter
The Black Lives Matter movement began as an online community that worked to combat anti-black racism and police violence that targets African Americans in particular, using the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. Through the use of the hashtag and social media platforms, the online community has been able to organize, mobilize, and improve its visibility, eventually becoming an organization with more than 40 chapters that work to support black lives. The #BlackLivesMatter hashtag was created by the co-founder and strategic advisor Patrisse Khan-Cullors through inspiration from a love letter written to black people by co-founder Alicia Garza, following the killing of Trayvon Martin. According to the Pew Research Center, the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter was used nearly 30 million times on Twitter (an average of 17,002 times per day) from its first use in July 2013 to the research cap date of May 1, 2018. The hashtag was slow to gain initial momentum, but has since resulted in daily usage. The hashtag increases in use during events like protests, demonstrations, speeches, and national discussions, or in response to news stories that affect the black community.