Activism is Not Just About Social MediaPosted by Cheek Dickinson on June 3rd, 2021 When people consider themselves engaged in social activism they often think of acts of civil disobedience or social movements such as the environmental, animal rights, and women's rights movements. Activism has been a significant part of social change throughout history. Civil disobedience and social movements do not always mean direct action. In some cases people will engage in silent civil disobedience and/or symbolic resistance. If we ask the question, what is social activism?, then we have to answer it in terms of philosophy, community involvement, identity, power, and privilege. If defining social injustice as the feeling that difference is respected, valued and enjoyed, then the person who thinks that social injustice exists would see that social activism is the opposite of social injustice. Activism is actually a way to achieve the same goal of social justice through the use of social movements. A social activist may use direct action to bring about changes in social policies or even their own personal lives. However, most of activists do not put into action their own ideas but rather use ideas of social movements as a vehicle to express their point of view. The history of activism is an interesting one. Many of us have been involved in political, social and economic issues at some time or another in our lives but, for some of us this involvement has taken on a life of its own. Today, many people find themselves deeply involved in political and social issues that affect their daily lives. Activism is often used by these people as a way of expressing themselves and of calling others to action on issues of social importance. Some of these activists use violence as a way of achieving their ends; however, there are many forms of peaceful and non-violent protest that people can take part in if they so choose. Historically speaking, social activism developed out of religious and social movements. In the past, these types of groups often held large public events where everyone could participate in religious and social programs. In these gatherings, the speakers would talk about what they felt was wrong with the state of society and the world in general and would engage the crowd in conversation. The organizer of these events would then ask for support from the crowd by asking questions about things that were important to them. Today, these types of events are often organized online by members of social movements to communicate their views. The organizer of an event will gather a large audience and allow them to discuss issues of importance to them. At the end of the meeting, an activist can give a speech to the crowd, which will often be highly articulate and passionate. However, the speaker will need excellent communication skills in order to get their point across to the audience. In order to make a good speech, the activist will need to think out their thoughts carefully and articulate them clearly. There are two main components to successful social activism today. The first component is the activist themselves and the second component is the organization that they are part of. For example, many environmentalists will be active in grass-roots movements trying to get the government to protect the environment. However, when they are talking with other environmentalist they will be joining forces and form coalitions to build momentum and pressure the government to do what is necessary to protect the environment. Many people believe that the activists of the past who were able to change legislation are categorized as social activists. However, there are also other people in politics who also use their influence to help change legislation. These people are commonly known as powerholders. Powerholders typically hold seats in parliament and play a key role in deciding how legislation is passed into law. There are many different types of social activism campaigns that you can join today. There are many types of social media that are making activism easier than ever before. With agency of your keyboard you can quickly join Facebook or Twitter groups where you can connect to others who have the same interests as you do. In addition to joining these networking sites you can also engage in email campaigns or online forums that are specifically designed to help you build your social movement. By using social media and engaging in online civil rights activism you can work towards protecting your rights and standing up for what you believe in.Like it? Share it! |