Lindsey Komson

Featured image by Vlada Karpovich

What if I told you anyone can be an activist?

When you hear the word “activist,” you probably think of people marching in the streets with signs or chanting into a megaphone.

But there’s a new kind of activist in this day and age – a social media activist.

According to Merriam-Webster, activism is defined as “a doctrine or practice that emphasizes direct vigorous action especially in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue.” Social media activism takes that principle and brings it online.

Examples of this practice include sharing posts, infographics, donation links, and other information to the public to advocate for a person’s point of view on an issue.

While social media activism has its positives and negatives like everything in the world, this practice can be beneficial for many reasons:

Virality

Social media is a great medium for spreading the word about important causes because it’s so easy to go viral. One single tweet or post can begin an entire movement, whether that’s its intention or not.

Low barrier to entry

Offline activists often need materials or funds to begin their demonstrations. Anyone with internet access can be a social media activist, which allows diverse voices to be heard and a variety of important cause to be shared.

Real-time communication

Years ago, important world issues were shared in the newspaper or television, which required at least several hours of preparation by media companies. Now, with social media, anyone can post in real time to share information about a given topic.

For example, when the small earthquake occurred in the northeast last year, I saw tweets about it before I saw anything from the news. While not activism related, that story speaks to how social media provides access to real-time information from people who have boots on the ground.

Celebrity involvement

Social media activism allows anyone to join in on a cause or effort, regardless of their status. Sometimes, celebrities get word of an issue or campaign on social media and share it to their own followings. This increases the virality of campaigns and puts exponentially more eyes on important issues.

Social media is an incredible tool for many reasons, but it has the power to turn anyone into an activist. Next time you find an important cause in your life, consider using social media to involve those around you. Who knows, maybe it’ll become the next viral campaign.