2020: The Year Social Media Changed Activism

Trigger Warning: murder, police brutality

Social justice and civic engagement have been a recurring theme in 2020, and social media has played a huge role in doing so. Social media connects all of us one way or another, especially during a pandemic. With sleek, easy networking platforms, we are able to interact within and outside of our circles and witness how they use their voices online. Because of the pandemic, we are socializing and sharing online a lot more than any “normal” year we’ve previously had. Have you been using social media to spread information when it comes to social justice topics?

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was murdered by white Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin. George Floyd’s death was video taped, and in this video, you’ll see Derek Chauvin kneeling on his neck for approximately 8 minutes and 46 seconds. This video was first shared on Facebook; from there, it was shared on every social media platform imaginable. We also see the same thing happen with Breonna Taylor, who was shot at in her home on March 13, 2020, when Louisville police officers, Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove knocked on the door and forced entry. These conversations were trending around the world, and the buzz did not stop. The conversation was consistent and persistent on obtaining justice for the innocent Black lives that are now gone.

Another recent example is sharing posts about the recent 2020 presidential election. These posts included topics like reasons why people vote, important voter information, voter suppression, etc. We saw a lot of these aesthetic graphics and/or memes on Instagram and then being reshared on personal (Instagram) accounts and Facebook. This conversation is still relevant on social media today, especially with Trump refusing to concede for President-elect Biden.

In the article, Front of house: The rise of social media activism in 2020 by Caelen Reeves, talks about how social media isn’t only used for organizing efforts, but how we (the public) have started using social media.

From late June to early August, there was an unspoken — and sometimes spoken — expectation that people would not post nonpolitical content on Instagram, such as beach pictures and selfies, so as to not take space away from organizing efforts.

This pressure did not cause posting on Instagram to subside. It was instead replaced with Instagram graphics breaking down larger concepts, like police abolition and the prison industrial complex, into a digestible size with simplified language.

With this in mind, terms like “performative activism” and “tokenism” have been coined and discussed on these platforms. More stories were being told, and shifted the narrative of the voiceless—marginalized communities and/or individuals—demanding to be heard. Slacktivism wasn’t an option for activists and organizers anymore. Many of the individuals who created these posts were not only educating but provided guidance on how to start being antiracist and highlighting events that demanding justice. Some Instagram accounts that are contributing to these conversations are @eisellety, @soyouwanttotalkabout, and @chnge.

These are just the covers of the posts. You can look at these accounts on Instagram to get better insight on what kind of content is being produced.

I mentioned how slacktivism isn’t an option anymore, especially in this context. Why is that? First, let’s define slacktivism. Slacktivism is known as a form of online activism, but doesn’t go beyond that offline. This year, we’ve seen organizations and individuals share posts that are *framing a discussion that goes beyond sharing a petition. They do this by creating actionable steps people can participate in a social movement. Here’s an example:

Lauren is a student activist and an active member in a student organization at her college. She stumbled across a petition about climate change from a local organization in her college town, and decides to do research about the organization and learn more about their efforts. Lauren then decides to share the petition on her social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter), and she decides to share it at the next student organization meeting. After she shared the petition, her organization decided to talk about the issue and hold tabling events on campus next month. This was to start the conversation and to start promoting their climate change march in the Spring semester. They did this by making events on Facebook and promoted it on their social media accounts; they also had members in the organization share it on their personal accounts to get more people interested and engaged in the conversation. They also contacted the organization who created the petition and had one of their members attend one of their tabling events. Eventually, the two organizations collaborated with each other to organize the march.

In this example, you saw Lauren went beyond just sharing the petition online to her circle. Sharing it with her student organization not only helped them make the issue about climate change more aware, but by framing the issue to make it relatable for their peers, faculty, and staff to understand how dire the situation is. All in all, the example shows us how social media can be utilized to mobilize, participate, coordinate within the organization and another organization, and how it’s able to draw attention to an issue for an extended period of time.

So, what does all of this mean and what can you do? I’m going to break this question down to two parts.

What does all of this mean? It means we are able to participate and contribute to the noise and amplify social issues that WE are dedicated to being a part of. It means we are shifting our activism. It means we are able to participate (virtually and in-person), learn, educate, and use OUR voices. It means we are able to create change and take action in different ways.

What can I do? Here’s what you can do:

• Be a part of the change, but go beyond sharing a petition and/or post and using a hashtag. You started the conversation, how are you going to continue it?
• Have good intentions when posting about specific social issues. When you post about a social issue, it must be intentional and genuine. It’s not self-serving. You’re (re)posting and sharing because you care about this issue, not for the likes or to make sure you are participating in the conversation.
• Start having these conversations offline. Social media is a great outlet to use our voices, but that only does so much. Again, you started the conversation, how are you going to continue it?
• Check your privilege. This is an important part when you’re reposting from activists, nonprofit and/or grassroots organizations, and movements. Ask yourself how you’re using your voice and if it’s effective.

2020 has been the year of activism, specifically social media activism. It’s no surprise either. The pandemic has shifted our views on what “normal” is, and shifted our views on utilizing social media as a tool for activism.

*Framing is a strategy used to refer to social issues, practices, or groups to amplify their attributes or downplay other aspects. An example of framing is using hashtags for or to contribute to the conversation in social issues.