Online Platforms Are Changing Advocacy Movements
Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are not only used to post vacation photos; they are now major platforms that prioritize social issues. Social media has changed the way activism works today for millions of users around the world, including many Lehmanites.
“When serious matters are broadcasted on social media, people pay more attention and always want to get involved,” said Jaquira Truesdale, a 21-year-old Lehman senior majoring in media and communications. She cited the use of the hashtag #JusticeforJunior, created to make public the murder of 15-year-old, Lesandro “Junior” Guzman-Feliz. Guzman-Feliz was slashed to death by five street gang members in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx in the summer of 2018.
The hashtag was first used on Twitter, and an official Facebook page, “Justice for Junior,” was subsequently created and followed by 47,000 supporters who helped collect around $340,369. “I mainly knew about cases like Junior’s death because of my friends and social media. It was hard seeing a young boy’s face who didn’t get a chance to succeed in life,” Truesdale explained.
Celebrities also use social media platforms as tools to advocate for their beliefs. On July 7, 2019 Latinpop singer Ricky Martin, decided to take action against the offensive leaked messages from former governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello. Because of Martin’s fame and large online presence, he was able to reach millions of people.
Protests, such as #BlackLivesMatter (BLM) and #MeToo have also raised broad discussions about the effectiveness and viability of social media use for political engagement and social activism. BLM is an international movement that campaigns against violence and systematic racism towards African-Americans and people of color that started on July 13, 2013. The #MeToo movement combats sexual harassment and assault, and began to spread virally in October 2017 as a hashtag attempting to demonstrate the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment.
The Pew Research Center states, “Majorities of Americans do believe these sites are very or somewhat important for accomplishing a range of political goals, such as getting politicians to pay attention to issues (69 percent of Americans feel these platforms are important for this purpose) or creating sustained movements for social change (67 percent).” However, some Lehman students question the veracity of social media content shared by activists.
Mate Ramirez, a 28-yearold computer science major and Lehman senior commented, “With social media being our sources for information, we don’t really know what’s facts or fiction.”
Professor Marisa M. White, 52, mastering in communication studies at Lehman said, “I think social issues are important and if we are using social media properly, we can reach a lot of people for social issues like #Metoo and #Blacklivesmatter. All these things can be influential and if we are using it properly, it can reach a wide audience.”
