Discussion question 2
In my opinion I think that “hashtag activism” is when people on twitter tweet or retweet certain (more so political) events going on in the world, but the reasoning behind it can be questionable. I think that the main benefit of “hashtag activism” includes the spreading of awareness which is a great thing because referring to the readings from this week, once something becomes very popular on twitter and it has been tweeted a lot, individuals then gain influence and power on achieving their desired result. However the reason behind why people are choosing to be a part of “hashtag activism” is controversial, because they may not be doing it for the right reason which would be simply to aid in making a difference. Some people may just tweet about a particular event occurring because they see other people doing it, or they see that it has become popular on twitter and they want to seem relevant, and like they know what’s going on in the world. Basically, people are taking part in “hashtag activism” because of how they will be viewed by their peers and they want to seem more informed as well as more caring. The intention of course is selfish, but the question becomes “does the end justify the means?” Whether or not individuals are tweeting because they actually think it will make a difference, or because it’s become the trendy thing to do, in the end if it makes a difference and if people in need receive help, would it matter why someone chose to tweet about it? In this case I don’t think that it would, considering the fact that it takes less than a minute to tweet, and if in the end someone is taking just a minute out of his or her life to participate in “hashtag activism,” which could lead to a better result for someone who really needs it why should the intention matter?
Of course, there is only so much that can be done through “hashtag activism.” A large constraint is that in the end you’re never really sure if you’ve absolutely made an impact. Yes you’ve tweeted about it and yes it may have started trending, but what then? If the intention was to ensure that a difference would be made, it’s going to take a lot more than “hashtag activism.” People would have to do their own research and figure out ways that they could better contribute. The sad reality is that for the majority “hashtag activism” is a trend, and whether or not the problem gets solved becomes less of a concern as it becomes less popular. Just like that, individuals have moved on to the next new thing. People usually don’t start to care about something until they’re faced with it, or until it specifically relates to them.
All in all, I think that “hashtag activism” may lead to some great results and good things may happen for many people, but the major problem lies with what happens after it’s not the trendy thing to talk about anymore. What happens next? Are the individuals involved forever forgotten about? How far are we willing to go to ensure that a difference is being made?
nyssal 