Scribd
Upload
19 views5 pages

Social Media's Role in Activism Dynamics

The document discusses the dynamics of social movements in the context of digital connectivity, highlighting how online and offline interactions shape activism. It emphasizes the challenges activists face, such as harassment and algorithmic suppression on social media, while also noting the potential of these platforms for organizing and mobilizing support. Additionally, it references studies that illustrate the radicalization process on social media, underscoring the significant influence of digital interactions on political engagement.

Uploaded by

Joseph Maina
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
19 views5 pages

Social Media's Role in Activism Dynamics

The document discusses the dynamics of social movements in the context of digital connectivity, highlighting how online and offline interactions shape activism. It emphasizes the challenges activists face, such as harassment and algorithmic suppression on social media, while also noting the potential of these platforms for organizing and mobilizing support. Additionally, it references studies that illustrate the radicalization process on social media, underscoring the significant influence of digital interactions on political engagement.

Uploaded by

Joseph Maina
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

1

Social Media and Claims

Name

Professor

Institution

Course

Date
2

In the book TWITTER AND TEAR GAS, almost all of the social mechanisms presented

work online and offline. Digital connectivity changes the specifics of how the mechanisms

generally operate rather than completely inventing or eliminating social dynamics or processes.

On the other hand, the activists who are part of the first wave of a networked movement may

need to learn more about one another, or they may just be acquainted with one another online.

Although there were undoubtedly some people in the Middle East and North Africa who

matched this profile, most of the dedicated activists had buddy networks that overlapped and

were relatively strong. These networks engaged both online and offline. Some of these networks

could reach across many nations because travel was more convenient, and international

organizations brought together activists from around the area at conferences and other events that

were held jointly. However some of them had met for the first time online, but they had also

utilized digital connectivity to locate one another in real life.

While a social movement must convince people to take action, a government or other

influential party seeking to maintain the status quo need only sow the seeds of sufficient

confusion to render people incapable of taking action. The relatively disorganized nature of the

internet, with its excess of information and lack of reliable gatekeepers, can give governments an

unfair advantage by allowing them to develop novel forms of censorship based not on preventing

access to information but rather on rendering information that is already available useless.

However, to have a substantial influence, huge social movements require the engagement of

enormous numbers of individuals, many of whom may have yet to gain any prior political

experience. Activists have the potential to become catalysts for broader publics that are capable

of being mobilized. Because these individuals typically do not seek out political and dissenting

venues, they have a lower chance of coming into contact with dissident viewpoints. For this
3

reason, those in positions of power are highly concerned with exercising influence over the wider

public sphere, particularly the mass media.

The networked public realm brings with it a lot of additional difficulties. On social

media, many activists are the targets of systematic harassment and abuse by governments or their

opponents. Ad-supported platforms utilize algorithms, which are complicated software, to

govern visibility, which can sometimes result in activist messages being drowned out in favor of

more advertiser-friendly material. Their filtering can further entrench "echo chambers," which

are groups of people with similar political views who come together (including activists for

social movements) but then engage in vicious online battles, increasing polarization and

discouraging many people from participating in politics. But movements may also utilize these

same platforms to achieve their aims since these technologies enable individuals to locate one

another, build and magnify their narrative, reach out to the larger public, and organize and resist.

Movements are writing their histories, but often under conditions and with resources that are not

wholly their own.

The first example is from Jane Hu's piece titled “The Second Act of Social-Media

Activism.” The author contends that the conflict that is taking place in the public square has

occurred concurrently with a takeover of the one that is virtual. The internet has become even

more flooded with what we may refer to as activist media, with mobile phone footage of

demonstrations and the toppling of sculptures. Continue increase are screenshots of people

donating to bail funds and encouraging others to do the same. The years of on-the-ground activist

experience have resulted in developing protest guidelines, freely disseminated across social

media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram. These guides instruct users on hiding faces in
4

images or assisting in de-arrests. Pre-scripted email and phone call templates are mass-

distributed and may be used.

Additionally, in the piece titled "Carol's Journey: What Facebook Knew About How It

Radicalized Users," written by Brandon Zandronzy, the author details a study carried out in 2019

by employees of Facebook. In this study, researchers created a counterfeit Facebook page called

"Carol Smith." Through Carol, these researchers were able to investigate the method by which

FaceBook users become radicalized. This process is mediated mainly by the people, news, and

information that we contact on a daily basis. Radicalization is the process in which people

acquire radical, fringe social and political ideals. The foundational information for Carol's profile

was filled up, which included her interest in politics, parenthood, and Christianity. Carol's profile

was also established with the setting to follow conservative themes, such as Fox News and

Donald Trump. The researchers concluded that the issue was not unique to Carol but affected

many Facebook users. This pattern linked to violent actions and protests, including the storming

of the Capitol in early 2020. Because of social media, the capacity to influence others is far more

than at any other time in history.


5

References

Hu, J. (2020, August 3). The Second Act of Social-Media Activism. The New Yorker.

[Link]

activism

Zadrozny, B. (2021, October 22). “Carol’s Journey”: What Facebook knew about how it

radicalized users. NBC News. [Link]

knew-radicalized-users-rcna3581

Zeynep Tufekci. (2018). TWITTER AND TEAR GAS: the power and fragility of networked

protest. Yale University Press.

Common questions

Powered by AI

Traditional media often shapes public opinion, maintaining influence over the mass public sphere, while social media provides a platform for direct interaction and mobilization by activists. However, social media's decentralized nature can lead to information overload and polarization, influencing engagement negatively by fostering echo chambers and harassment .

Social media platforms support activist movements by enabling individuals to connect, craft narratives, build public awareness, and organize actions despite limited resources. However, these platforms simultaneously hinder activists through systematic harassment, algorithmic bias favoring advertiser-friendly content, and creating echo chambers that increase polarization, making it difficult for broader participation in politics .

Echo chambers polarize political discourse by grouping users with similar opinions together, limiting exposure to diverse views. This leads to intensification of beliefs and potentially aggressive interactions between groups. Such polarization can deter participation in collective political conversation and hinder the capacity for creating moderated, consensus-driven public dialogues .

Activists avoid government censorship by using social media to share protest guidelines, like how to hide identities in images and assist in de-arrests, as well as distributing pre-written emails and call templates for mass communication. These strategies enable movements to organize and resist under constrained conditions .

'Activist media' in the digital landscape includes mobile phone footage of protests, the dissemination of protest guidelines, and the use of social media platforms to share content like pre-scripted email templates for institutional advocacy. This media fosters connection and mobilization among activists while challenging traditional narratives controlled by larger media organizations .

Online activists face challenges such as systematic harassment, often organized by governments or opponents, which undermines their efforts. Additionally, ad-supported platforms use algorithms that prioritize advertiser-friendly content over activist messages and further contribute to polarization by entrenching echo chambers, where like-minded users engage in isolated, often hostile exchanges .

Social networks facilitate international activist collaborations by connecting activists who may have initially met online at international conferences or events. Digital connectivity, along with convenient travel, allows these networks to expand across countries, effectively organizing and coordinating movements on a global scale .

Algorithms impact the visibility of activist messages by prioritizing advertiser-friendly content, which can overshadow activist narratives. This reduces the reach of these messages and can entrench echo chambers, further polarizing users and discouraging broader public engagement in political discourse .

Digital connectivity changes the specifics of how social mechanisms operate rather than completely inventing or eliminating social dynamics or processes. For example, activists can meet online before organizing in person, and international travel allows for cross-national networking, enhancing the reach and influence of social movements through digital means .

The radicalization of social media users suggests that algorithms can heavily influence political behaviors by curating content that confirms existing biases, facilitating radical beliefs. As seen in studies like Facebook's, this algorithmic curation can lead towards more extreme viewpoints and behaviors, as experienced by the user research mimicking radicals .

You might also like