As social justice issues continue to be at the forefront of society, it makes one realize the depth and breadth of need and injustice in our world. As such, I am a believer that any act of social justice is worthwhile and important regardless of whether it takes place in person or in an online environment. With that said, I believe the environment in which social justice work takes place has a significant effect on the level of impact that is created.
The website RESET, in an article titled Digital and Online Activism, notes that one of the benefits of online activism is the ability for a variety of voices to be heard that may not normally be heard through traditional media reporting. The online environment allows anybody to state their opinion. However, this article also points out that “digital activism often enjoys the biggest success when it is used as a complementary tool to offline action or is used as the introductory method to encourage people to engage in offline action.” The Problem With Social-Media Protests from The Atlantic furthers this sentiment by pointing out that although online activism can stimulate movements of social justice, they often lose momentum and may not lead to any real, effective change in a real world environment.
We say all the time that actions speak louder than words. In this case, actions in a real world environment speak much louder than words/posts/likes in a virtual environment. Yes, by sharing and being vocal online you can bring issues to others attention. You can voice your opinion and push others for support and change. This is an important step in making issues visible, but does this translate to real change in the real world? I think back to the terrible events in the United States that led to the peak of the Black Lives Matter movement. There were both online and in-person protests and support for change. Without much immediate connection to the issue, I often wonder how much influence those protests had on real change for Black people in America and around the world. Did it create lasting change, or has it failed to maintain momentum and purpose over time?
Perhaps a current event closer to home will give me more perspective. @campmarjorie1 in Regina has its own twitter page. It has been effective at bringing awareness to homelessness and poverty in Regina. Many have responded with meaningful action – bringing food and supplies to those in need. It has also increased political pressure on multiple levels of government. What remains to be seen is how long the movement lasts and whether it leads to lasting change for those in need. I will be following closely to see.
Thanks for sharing. To be completely honest, I think the media coverage for Tent City here in Regina needs more attention. It wasn’t until a nurse friend of mine told me about it and why it started. I had no idea. Not being one to watch the news, I hadn’t seen anything about it on Twitter or even heard anything on the radio on my way to work. Now that I know about it, I am looking for more information. I saw a post on Twitter, although I really wanted to see more than I did. So, why do some get better media coverage than others? I think this is something that I could be able to help out with and be more participatory. However, there are many things that I feel as if I am contractually obligated to not speak up about. So where is the line? It’s often blurred and hard to find.
I appreciate this post, Chris. I agree with you that often they lose momentum and that is too bad. #BLM has died out in news media and I see fewer and fewer people posting and sharing content about the movement. It opened many eyes to the continued and systemic racism in the USA (and around the world) but also created a larger/more noticeable divide as well. This is not to say that the movement was not necessary, it was, but it definitely fed the polarization in the last election. It was just bad on bad on bad. Did anything in the government levels change because of the movement? Was there any police reform? Or are they just dotting their i’s and crossing their t’s a little more with the spotlight on police brutality and government inaction?
I have a friend who shared Camp Marjorie’s post about needing volunteers on the site. She is a keyboard warrior and will share countless posts similar to that. I was tempted to comment and ask when her volunteer timeslot was… but I don’t need the fight or the keyboard war. Posting and sharing is great, but if you are unwilling to take action and help, then is the post truly meaningful? (I suppose it would be meaningful if other people signed up to vote, but still…)
Thanks for sharing!