MEDIA
FLAME in the news
The wildfire of online activism
brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com | May 26, 2022
Most parts of the world have witnessed a drastic improvement in network connectivity over the years, which serves to increase the possibility of real-time communication and information dissemination via social media platforms. This immediate, or near to immediate, interaction with individuals bound by the same social networking sites is one of the major driving forces for the increasing online presence of activist groups and protest movements.
The leveraging of social media by activists and other social workers stems from the fact that such platforms enable them to form a vast network of support due to the increased bandwidth of geographic reach and coordination. Through social media platforms, it has become a lot easier for activism enthusiasts to put forth their verbal/ visual discourses and avoid any sort of manipulation from the state of mainstream media, in order to establish their desired identities and standpoints on particular issues.
Since today’s youth are increasingly reliant on technology and the Internet in general as a form of self-education, recent social media trends are indicative of much higher participation of this generation in matters involving online activism, social awareness, or showcasing solidarity towards social movements. As a cohort that cares about breeding societal change and actively rebelling against issues they deem as wrong, the youth have turned to platforms like Instagram and TikTok in order to reach more like-minded counterparts across the globe and, in this manner, make any piece of content go viral. An example of a campaign that took place in 2019 was that of changing individual Instagram display pictures blue in order to stand with one of the protesters who was killed by the Sudan military during the Sudan protests against their long-time ruler.
A hashtag movement known as #BlueForSudan was also initiated as a means of raising awareness about these protests. The youth have also figured out how to make any piece of content go viral through platforms like TikTok, wherein steps like commenting on a video, sharing it with others, or re-watching it, will stimulate the algorithm to place more focus on that content, in turn increasing its reach to the TikTok consumers.
Another very famous example of virality through hashtags is that of the #blackouttuesday, which led to the sharing of around 20 million posts in one day in order to depict unanimity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
The rise of social media was thought to be a ray of hope amidst the skewed access to economic and political opportunities and was expected to result in collective action that is constructive and not just critical in nature. This optimism about social media’s potential to establish a more transparent and equitable platform for intellectual discourse seems to have reduced, however.
There is no denying that social media has immensely contributed to giving a voice and space to activists and social movements for the expression of crucial information, but there are also certain challenges that come with social media platforms as the hubs of information dissemination. Facebook and Twitter have occasionally been touted as incubators of fake news and propaganda rather than tools for empowerment and social change.
The challenge of this misinformation and skewed perceptions seems to be overshadowing the benefits that social media has to offer in terms of more accessible and transparent journalism or activism. Dealing with this misinformation becomes particularly difficult when false or misleading messages are spread under the guise of informative content, resembling academic discourse or published articles. A study by Kuklinski et al. (2000) showed that subjects not only were more likely to hold incorrect beliefs about various aspects of welfare policy, but they were also more confident in their beliefs than the correctly informed.
The internet can help spread information about socio-political happenings across boundaries, but sensitizing users about the aims and visions behind activists/ protests/ certain social or political movements will only work if the individuals themselves are willing enough to seek such information and help in producing change. This again brings us to the discussion of social media creating a narrower and more polarized version of the world in the minds of the users.
With the algorithms helping bombard users with the kind of information and news that they have been actively consuming, the users end up being exposed to similar content from networks representing congruent views. Over time, the user may be inclined to assume this content to be the prevalent reality without critically evaluating the data producing counterarguments and opposing perspectives.
Moreover, it cannot be denied that at the end of the day, social media networks are being controlled by powerful corporations whose major aim is to commercialize such platforms, which may compromise the coverage of certain topics while favouring some others.
The spark of passion for change that drives the youth, should kindle the thirst for knowledge and truth. Blind faith in incoming information across social media platforms however can lead to a wildfire of hatred and biases that may spread far and wide.
- By Prof. Sairaj Patki, Faculty of Psychology
The leveraging of social media by activists and other social workers stems from the fact that such platforms enable them to form a vast network of support due to the increased bandwidth of geographic reach and coordination. Through social media platforms, it has become a lot easier for activism enthusiasts to put forth their verbal/ visual discourses and avoid any sort of manipulation from the state of mainstream media, in order to establish their desired identities and standpoints on particular issues.
Since today’s youth are increasingly reliant on technology and the Internet in general as a form of self-education, recent social media trends are indicative of much higher participation of this generation in matters involving online activism, social awareness, or showcasing solidarity towards social movements. As a cohort that cares about breeding societal change and actively rebelling against issues they deem as wrong, the youth have turned to platforms like Instagram and TikTok in order to reach more like-minded counterparts across the globe and, in this manner, make any piece of content go viral. An example of a campaign that took place in 2019 was that of changing individual Instagram display pictures blue in order to stand with one of the protesters who was killed by the Sudan military during the Sudan protests against their long-time ruler.
A hashtag movement known as #BlueForSudan was also initiated as a means of raising awareness about these protests. The youth have also figured out how to make any piece of content go viral through platforms like TikTok, wherein steps like commenting on a video, sharing it with others, or re-watching it, will stimulate the algorithm to place more focus on that content, in turn increasing its reach to the TikTok consumers.
Another very famous example of virality through hashtags is that of the #blackouttuesday, which led to the sharing of around 20 million posts in one day in order to depict unanimity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
The rise of social media was thought to be a ray of hope amidst the skewed access to economic and political opportunities and was expected to result in collective action that is constructive and not just critical in nature. This optimism about social media’s potential to establish a more transparent and equitable platform for intellectual discourse seems to have reduced, however.
There is no denying that social media has immensely contributed to giving a voice and space to activists and social movements for the expression of crucial information, but there are also certain challenges that come with social media platforms as the hubs of information dissemination. Facebook and Twitter have occasionally been touted as incubators of fake news and propaganda rather than tools for empowerment and social change.
The challenge of this misinformation and skewed perceptions seems to be overshadowing the benefits that social media has to offer in terms of more accessible and transparent journalism or activism. Dealing with this misinformation becomes particularly difficult when false or misleading messages are spread under the guise of informative content, resembling academic discourse or published articles. A study by Kuklinski et al. (2000) showed that subjects not only were more likely to hold incorrect beliefs about various aspects of welfare policy, but they were also more confident in their beliefs than the correctly informed.
The internet can help spread information about socio-political happenings across boundaries, but sensitizing users about the aims and visions behind activists/ protests/ certain social or political movements will only work if the individuals themselves are willing enough to seek such information and help in producing change. This again brings us to the discussion of social media creating a narrower and more polarized version of the world in the minds of the users.
With the algorithms helping bombard users with the kind of information and news that they have been actively consuming, the users end up being exposed to similar content from networks representing congruent views. Over time, the user may be inclined to assume this content to be the prevalent reality without critically evaluating the data producing counterarguments and opposing perspectives.
Moreover, it cannot be denied that at the end of the day, social media networks are being controlled by powerful corporations whose major aim is to commercialize such platforms, which may compromise the coverage of certain topics while favouring some others.
The spark of passion for change that drives the youth, should kindle the thirst for knowledge and truth. Blind faith in incoming information across social media platforms however can lead to a wildfire of hatred and biases that may spread far and wide.
- By Prof. Sairaj Patki, Faculty of Psychology