CAN YOU FIGHT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS FROM YOUR PHONE?
By Daria
Scroll through social media and you’ll probably see it – photos and videos about human rights crises, challenges reposted through stories or petitions and polls. You might have even participated: reposting a photo from Gaza or sharing a donation link for earthquake victims. It comes as no surprise that social media is filled with human rights activism, advocating for awareness and calling for change. Though, this does raise the question of how much change we are actually bringing about – are we really advocating for social change, or just tapping our screens. Can you fight for human rights from your phone?
Essentially, this is at the heart of the emerging concept of ‘Hashtag-Activism’. This form of digital activism is used to raise awareness for social or political issues around the world. Users are able to capitalise on the high reach and exposure potential of social media, providing a microphone for those without a voice within our society.
On the one hand, it is undeniable that social media has its strengths when it comes to spreading information, and it can be a very effective tool for advocating for human rights around the world. Social media is fast paced and easy to use and access, making it an ideal gateway for spreading awareness and disseminating information to the public. Additionally, the visual nature of social media is successful in capturing attention and provides activists with the opportunity to more effectively emotionally engage with their audience. Consequently, Instagram activism is able to successfully mobilise support worldwide, promoting and working towards social change. These advantages are especially potent within the younger demographic, where social media is particularly pervasive.
But there’s another side to it.
While the power of social media is undeniable, we must consider how much each post and share can actually effect Human Rights activism. The term slacktivism describes when someone supports a cause online to appear engaged without actually carrying out any action to enforce change and support their cause. The intent is often genuine, though critics argue that it rarely leads to any real – world change and, in the world of human rights, this can be particularly complicated. Human rights issues are often urgent and global, yet the way we engage with them online can sometimes appear only surface level.
Thus, whilst sharing or reposting a story can be helpful, it just simply isn’t the same as actually taking action. Furthermore, we must also consider the problem of misinformation which can hugely hinder the growth of Human Rights causes due to a lack of trust and transparency.
To conclude, social media activism isn’t bad and, in contrast, it can be a powerful tool to start the conversation. However, there is a big difference between awareness and action and it is our collective responsibility to continue the conversation.
