Social Media, is the new playground for social activism and the easiest means to effect change. The relative ease with which a social movement can be kick-started makes it the most viable means of spreading social awareness. With an increasing lack of trust in traditional news outlets, social media has become the source of information for the common public these days.
But does this equate to social media’s ability to generate people’s movements on the ground? The answer to that is a resounding yes. Social media, specifically X.com and Instagram are the breeding grounds for popular movements. The hashtag culture allows for a quick spread of ideas and awareness, and the same hashtag allows people to express support for these ideas.
The hashtag is the symbol of revolution in this increasingly digital world. Social-media is cheaper, easier to access and more effective than traditional media, and sensitises even the younger generations due to its wide reach (Click to know Social media and teens, What parents need to know?). In India, socialmedia hashtag campaigns have given birth to highly successful popular movements including the #metoo movement, the R.G Kar and Nirbhaya cases. #Blacklivesmatter is another global movement that has sensitised the world on racial discrimination that continues to occur in developed and progressive regions like the U.S and western Europe. Social-media is today’s biggest weapon in the hands of the young social activist.
Author: Indraneel P Menon, 12-C
