Quotation:

“With Facebook and Twitter and the like, the traditional relationship between political authority and popular will has been upended, making it easier for the powerless to collaborate, coordinate, and give voice to their concerns.”

Comment:

This quote exemplifies the new relationship between politics, social justice, and social media that have formed recently. Social media has opened so many new possibilities for people to create change and make their voices heard. Some people may be wary of joining groups on social media or becoming an activist online, but the fact is that social media works to bring people together in ways that face-to-face communication could never. Being online allows people to communicate with each other no matter their time or location. This power sometimes is taken for granted, and the true abilities of social media might not be taken advantage of. We have seen as a country over the past few years how influential social media can be. Activists in the Black Lives Matter movement have coordinated large protests and gatherings that have brought thousands of people together all across the country. Gatherings like this wouldn’t be possible without the quick work of social media and how easy it is to access information about events and protests being planned. 

The relationship between social media and social justice/politics will continue to evolve and grow. More and more people are becoming active on social media every day, and as the older generations lessen and the younger generations take over, we will soon have a population where the majority of people are fluent online and have a presence on social media that is important to their daily lives. This will make it that much easier for news and information to spread across the country and the world, furthering the influence that social media and those on it have on political controversies.

Question:

How are you influenced by social media in terms of politics and social justice issues?