#GlamazonChat: Does Social Media Activism Really Make a Difference?

Glamazons,

Do the words #bringbackourgirls mean anything to you? Is that how you learned of the over 200 girls kidnapped from their homes by the Boko Haram in Nigeria? Have you used the hashtag yourself? Apparently, some people consider this to be armchair activism: a method that doesn’t actually yield results other than an increase in one’s likes and shares. But social media activism is a bit deeper than that.

People forget that at the root of activism is awareness as we can’t care about causes we don’t know about, and social media makes it easy for us to gain information. I learned about the missing girls through a tweet and was immediately alarmed. But it wasn’t until later when people on Twitter began asking why no media outlets were covering the topic that I realized the story, as horrendous as it is, was being ignored. As people continued to tweet about the issue, I saw an increasing number of media outlets post articles asking the same question which ultimately lead to even more major outlets covering the story. And then, this tweet made its way across my timeline:

In this case, Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan (Nigeria’s President) isn’t the only one inspired by armchair activists. After #bringbackourgirls caught on, the leader of the Boko Haram released a video which spurred President Barack Obama to send military, intelligence and law enforcement advisors to assist the Nigerian government in rescuing the missing children. All this considered, didn’t government involvement stem from Twitter activists?

This isn’t the first time time social media activism has spawned real life action. Had the support of the online community for Trayvon Martin’s parents not taken their case from local tragedy to national uproar, police likely wouldn’t have taken a second look into the George Zimmerman case. Though some view the Clippers as “cowards” for continuing to play after their owner’s racist views were made public, its worth questioning if the national attention on the ordeal, heightened by social media, is what drove NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to ban Donald Sterling from the NBA, or brands such as Carmax and Virgin America to pull sponsorship from the team. In these cases, armchair activism is part of the reason any real life changes took place. Activism begins with the spread of information, and social media is one method of doing just that. It focuses the world’s eyes on a cause and gets people talking.

When it comes to causes and charity, people should feel empowered and encouraged to contribute in a variety of ways. Some have the funds so they contribute monetarily; some donate their time. Others can’t afford to spare either but a Facebook post or Twitter hashtag can help spread the word to someone who can. It may seem like armchair activists are too lazy to get out and do something but we can’t downplay how effective simply spreading the message may be when it comes to affecting actual change.

Glamazons, are you a social media activist? Do you believe such efforts are actually contributing to the cause?

Let’s discuss,

Glamazon Esta

*If you feel moved to contribute to the #BringBackOurGirls mission, you can spread awareness on social media, sign this petition, write and call your world leaders to demand action, or plan/attend a rally in your city. Every effort helps!