#metoo Wait, I wrote the hashtag, why has nothing changed?
With an increase of social media use all over the globe, it was only a matter of time before people started using their presence for activism and protesting. People have the ability to spread their anger, frustrations and hate all the way across the world with just the click of a button s (Youmans & York 2012). It’s so easy, why wouldn’t you do it?
As well as using the internet for sharing, there are few who use the internet to find out what is not being said. The term hacktivism refers to groups of activists dedicated to finding out secrets about the government and big corporations (Dery 2010). They do this by hacking into computers and systems that are not available for public viewing and share what they know online. They also try and ‘troll’ the people they hack by posting unwanted content on their accounts. Anonymous, a well known hacktivism group, believes they are doing a public service by exposing the lies and using the reliance on internet news to their own advantage.
As well as using the internet for sharing, there are few who use the internet to find out what is not being said. The term hacktivism refers to groups of activists dedicated to finding out secrets about the government and big corporations (Dery 2010). They do this by hacking into computers and systems that are not available for public viewing and share what they know online. They also try and ‘troll’ the people they hack by posting unwanted content on their accounts. Anonymous, a well known hacktivism group, believes they are doing a public service by exposing the lies and using the reliance on internet news to their own advantage.
Adbusters on the other hand, use their sharing power to try and convince the internet of a certain lifestyle. This lifestyle includes protesting banks, politics, big business, advertising, consumerism and basically any system that stops people from ‘living their dream’ (Adbusters 2018). They organise a series of protests through advertisements, marketing and action. Similar to Anonymous, Adbusters use the very thing they are trying to destroy to promote their cause. It is hard to change what already works so well, and if internet marketing reaches your demographic, there is not really much else you can do.
So what comes of online activism? You’ve all seen the hashtags, share if you’ve been, donate now, the list is endless. Similar to last week, do people think they’re contributing by sharing a post? Yes. Do they think their civic duty is done? Yes. It has become so commonplace in everyday society that people forget how big issues can be. Just because your newsfeed is flooded with the same stories does not mean it is not urgent, and just because you can click a button does not mean you are really helping anybody. No one is obligated to help one another, but don’t pretend that liking content on social media makes you a hero. Backup your actions with protesting, donating money and helping those that really need it.
References:
Adbusters 2018, Manifesto, Adbusters, viewed 6 December 2018, .
Dery, M 2010, Culture jamming: hacking,slashing, and sniping in the empire of signs, Shovelware, viewed 6 December 2018
Youmans, WL & York, JC 2012, ‘Social media and the activist toolkit: user agreements, corporate interests, and the information infrastructure of modern social movements’, Journal of Communication, vol. 62, no. 2, pp. 315-329.
Great point. Theres nothing wrong with online activism, sharing and hashtagging are all important parts of the campaign. But we need to back it up with action! Protests and petitions, donating and showing up when its important. Love adbusters, what an awesome movement.
The graph at the bottom is really interesting, I assume that the question is targeted at men? If it is, super disappointing results there! Although, i’m not surprised to see the lowest result come from over 55′s. Still so much work to do! #metoo
