photo credit: Hiya Patel
Scrolling on social media, users come across a news clip. Perhaps, it’s a politician stepping down or a short video of local protests. Users have no doubt also seen celebrities supporting their side on a topic – whether it’s Olivia Rodrigo using her platform to support the Fund For Good or various celebrities shortly changing their profile pictures to a black screen, signifying support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
As social media’s expansive popularity continues to grow, questions surrounding its influence in the world grow along with it. These questions are ever-increasing in the world of political and social movements.
The negative effect of social media usually manifests itself with the “distraction effect” or the tendency for one’s attention to quickly be drawn from one topic to another. Another negative effect is performative activism, which is posed activism done with the goal of one increasing their individual capital.
Consumers observing performative activism are further distracted by social media’s “performance” while experiencing a dopamine high on social media, and the actual importance of the situation is lost. As the distraction effect takes place, people tend to view these issues as entertainment instead of the very serious situations that they are.
Although, this isn’t meant to diminish the importance of social media’s influence and outreach. Having the ability to spread mass information with a worldwide audience, is an unmatched capacity. These platforms have the ability to increase awareness and education, which are positive effects of social media.
Both of positive and negative effects of social media are easily displayed by comparing the portrayal of different social movements on the platforms.
#MeToo
A movement with a largely positive social media response was the Me Too movement, a social movement primarily focused on awareness regarding sexual violence towards women.
Origins trace back to 2006 when activist Tarana Burke founded the movement. However, it wouldn’t be until 2017 that the phrase #Metoo would explode on social media following accusations against producer Harvey Weinstein.
“How I talk about it in a sociological context is about power dynamics,” Sociology Teacher Leslie Hosgood said. “The importance of it was about bringing to life people in powerful positions using that power in ways that are not conducive to a good atmosphere.”
Although the movement peaked in 2017 and 2018 within the United States, separate Me Too movements in other countries and other similar movements have allowed its spirit to be alive in its goal to raise awareness about sexual violence. Nowadays, in the states at least, the use of #Metoo occasionally rises or falls as accusations mount against certain individuals.
“Social media is replacing the third space older generations used to gather and have necessary conversations, and it allows people to connect across states, countries and cities,” Women’s Fund of Central Ohio associate Monique Kamara said. “We have the chance to hear many stories and learn that this is not an original or singular issue but a societal problem that the survivors have ignored or scapegoated.”
For example, a Me Too movement grew in France in the past year after actor Gerard Depardieu was accused of sexual misconduct by 13 women in April 2023, according to Variety.com.
“Whenever there’s a hashtag or something catches on or blows up, it allows people to click, share and amplify those stories but also encourages people to share their own experiences so they don’t feel alone,” Social Studies Teacher Rebecca Whitney said.
While the Me Too movement is primarily associated with advocacy for women’s abuse, men are not excluded from abuse. This is something that the movement has recognized. #MetooGarçons trended in France alongside the country’s Me Too movements as male actors shared their stories of abuses done to them while they were in their teenage years, according to euronews.com.
“I just wish that society would be better at helping victims of sexual assault or victims who have been in these kinds of situations. Just helping them and providing more opportunities for both men and women would be something I wish for with the outcome of Me Too,” Hosgood said.
Although, nothing is safe from the public criticism that can arise as time passes by. Since the peak of the Me Too movement, there have been criticisms of certain aspects.
“There was obviously a backlash to it, so I don’t know if framing it as like it was positive and it brought a lot of changes is true necessarily because to be fair, there weren’t necessarily long-lasting changes to laws and real structure stuff to society. It was more meant to bring awareness to some of these issues,” Hosgood said.
Especially with a movement that focuses on awareness of abuse, the potential for false accusations can be quite a burden. With how connected the world is on social media, anyone can say anything with the ability to gain traction.
In a Pew Research Center poll conducted in 2022, 15 percent of all adults say false reports in the workspace are very common, while 35 percent say they are somewhat common. This is compared to 48 percent of adults who say it’s not at all common.
Even if a social movement has flaws, it’s still important to consider the sheer impact that it can have on societal norms. Despite Me Too blowing up nearly seven years ago, the changes that have occurred cannot be ignored, and even to this day, the movement is still alive and well, just not in the spotlight as it once used to be.
“It’s important that people are able to tell stories when people have been affected by violence. It’s helpful for people to raise awareness and let people know that they are not alone if abuse is something they had to go through,” Whitney said.
March For Our Lives
Another positive example was the notable political movement that is often glossed over when talking about this topic: the March for Our Lives (MFOL) movement from 2018. MFOL was a movement started by survivors of the Parkland High School shooting, based around leading demonstrations and fighting for stricter gun control laws in the United States.
“It really inspired the youth to come out and share their voice, and it got parents and teachers involved too,” English Teacher Tyler Williams said.
The movement eventually culminated into one of the largest protests in American history, with an estimated 1.2 million to two million participants. Many people attribute this massive number to the movement’s use of social media, which allowed information to be spread to a far larger (and younger) audience in a shorter amount of time than past demonstrations.
“More young people were influenced by it because they saw it more, and it’s a cause that lots of younger people care about,” junior Sam Vermeer said.
While this may be seen as a great thing by most, there are debates over social media’s influence on political movements such as this. The widespread use of social media has impacted social and political movements in a multitude of good ways. However, it has also led to the rise of performative activism. Many people believe that the increased exposure given to political movements by social media has resulted in them becoming “trends” to many people, even those who claim to support them.
“A lot of them are trends, which can be good because it raises awareness, but it can also conflict with the movement’s purpose,” Williams said. “A lot of people think posting and liking stuff constitutes activism rather than actually going out and doing something.”
However, many others believe that this increased exposure to political movements is in fact a good thing and that they shouldn’t be viewed as trends.
“Even though it’s so easy to spread misinformation through propaganda, it’s also easy to find good reliable news sources with social media, and I think that’s done a really good job at making people more aware of what’s going on in the world,” Vermeer said. “People have been so trained to see things as trends on social media that they become trends.”
Regardless of whether they think social media has turned political activism into just another trend, many agree that performative activism online is becoming a major problem. A lot of people solely partake in online activism that ends up being inconsequential in the real world and not doing much to advance the movement at all.
“People do things like change their profile pictures for a couple of weeks and then go right back to normal as if nothing happened,” Williams said.
This problem has notably been seen in celebrities more than anyone else, who often participate in social movements online due to pressure from others on social media.
“One example is Billie Eilish wearing a ceasefire pin and supporting Starbucks the day after,” Vermeer said. “There are very few celebrities that do anything to raise awareness on current events despite their massive influence on people, and if they do decide to say something it’s only after backlash from fans over their silence.”
Israel/Palestine
Furthermore was when the media picked up on the news post-haste following the tragic events on Oct. 7, 2023, in which Hamas led a simultaneous barrage of assaults on Israeli civilian communities and military posts. Every social media platform, news outpost and newspaper were laser-focused on the conflict. Even as months went by, and the state of Gaza worsened, news stations continued covering every hour of the situation.
More drama started to surround the conflict, leading to “Israel vs. Palestine” everywhere. From social media influencers to large corporations, turning this very real conflict into a “trend,” on these platforms. And entertainment on social media has led to many users ignoring these debates. It’s not out of the question that performative activism and the distraction effect are taking place here.
Social media platforms are where the public is turning to for news and to view what others are thinking. Many may go there to see what their favorite people and the biggest figures have to say.
“Twitter (X) has been seen to have mentioned it the most because this kind of conflict is something that’s been followed by many leaders, celebrities, etc,” Library Media Specialist Austin Nunn said.
Performative activism has played a role in the social quarrel of the Israel/Hamas conflict, especially caused by individuals who lack the knowledge to speak against a side. These patterns are seen everywhere on social media and are continuing now. A large sum of these people are speaking out for social capital.
“I have come across these situations where people without expertise have openly voiced their opinions, especially in regard to social media. Individuals who aren’t experts but want to express their opinions on social media may do it with the incentive of getting traction,” Nunn said.
Of course, this isn’t anything new. Continually, these individuals are not the only ones who do this. Some news stations across the country tend to indirectly join a certain side in the conflict by talking about one more or giving support behind the scenes.
“Many news channels have never been fair with the way they share their news and thoughts. The way they portray some events isn’t unbiased. And so they are less reliable,” Israeli native Faye Campbell said.
Although it is more uncommon, even some corporations have gone to lengths to silence specific sides of the conflict or go with one, so as to not tarnish their name. There have been a few examples of this across mainstream companies.
For example, the Starbucks union, in December 2023 took their bias to social media to gain online support and positive publicity, bringing forth quite a bit of social media attention.
“In Starbucks, there was a group who gave support to a side, and they took it to social media. They tried to use it to grow that support and Starbucks shut it down immediately,” Campbell said.
But the distraction effect is also taking place in this conflict. The effect is like seeing people like one’s posts, watching an endless supply of funny videos or scrolling through aesthetically pleasing content. The distraction effect has kicked in, stirring more people from political and social problems over to entertainment. This will change how people receive these events, and it has already been seen in a few cases.
“There have been signs of neglect nationally. Recently, in California during the Oscars, people have been showing support for Palestine with buttons on their clothing, and so they have looked for attention and haven’t actually helped the cause in Gaza. It is being actively ignored, ” Campbell said.
BLM
Beginning in 2013, the BLM movement had a slow start and increased in its popularity during 2020, presumably due to the widespread growth of social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and Tiktok.
“There are still people in society who think that they are better than other groups of people due to their race so they will perceive that (Black Lives Matter) a provocation against them and what they stand for,” 50 year old Sachin Patel said.
Sachin Patel lives in Atlanta, Georgia, where a lot of the most intense protests took place. He said that Black Lives Matter directly fights against the people who believe that they are better than other people due to their skin color. Because of this, some groups of people see it as an attack on what they stand for. Something that is further amplified due to social media’s extremely strong algorithm.
“When I attended a Black Lives Matter protest, I mainly went with my sister, but when I went, I realized the impact I had just by being there and showing my support. I felt really happy that I had attended,” 15 year old from Kentucky Niyati Patel said.
The Black Lives Matter Movement has had many protests, peaking on June 6, 2020, according to the New York Times. They were all mostly arranged through social media.
“When I went to the protest, I was really able to feel a sense of community. It is like we were all united under the same cause. It was really cool seeing people coming from all walks of life uniting like that. In fact, I even met a kinda famous social media influencer that I knew there,” Niyati Patel said.
Due to social media influencers, many people are being exposed to BLM; this spread of BLM through social media was rapidly positive in comparison to past social movements.
“Social media was a great way to spread justice and to avoid similar instances,” Sachin Patel said
Social media is a tool, becoming vital in society more and more by the day. With growing effects on politics and social movements, social media is becoming a growing aspect of societal influence. Although it seems like any event can fall prey to the negative aspects of the system, it is also important to recognize the positive possibilities of awareness that could never be possible without the mass outreach of today’s social media.
