Hashtivism

Hashtivism


One of the topics that we addressed in lab, this semester, was Hashtivism. During that session, we didn't meet in class but logged into a chat room, and we answered a series of questions about the topic. I think that this method was limiting, and I wish that we could have spent more time going in depth about different aspects of this online phenomenon.


As a Sociology major, topics related to human social behavior peak my interest, especially when it involves activism. Additionally, during this Fall semester, a lot of social justice issues have arisen in America which all called for action from the general public. In response to such issues as the Leon Ford trial, the Mike Brown trial and the Eric Garner trial was an uprising across America which included protests, marches and trending hash tags like #JusticeForLeon #Ferguson and #ICantBreathe.


To specify the element that I wish could have been observed in addressing Hashtivism, I wish that we could have compared Hashtivism to Face to Face activism. I wish that we could have addressed the the way that people reacted to such social issues in the past, compared to the way that we respond today. I wish that we could have observed the connectivity caused by the internet, and the amount of time it takes for these trends to spread across the country and internationally, and even the involvement of an outstanding number of celebrities. I wish that we could have observed the elements of organizing online, compared to the time and effort it takes to meet in person to do such things. Furthermore, it would have been interesting to examine the ways that past movements have fallen short in reaching their desired goal with different strategies that were used to address social issues, and the advantages that are provided to us through CMC that could  lead to improvement and desired outcomes.