Cyber Social Justice otherwise known as Internet activism is the use of electronic communication technologies such as social media, especially Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, YouTube, e-mail and podcasts for various forms of activism to enable faster communication by citizen movements and the delivery of local information to a large audience.

 

North Dakota Pipeline Protest

How are people taking the North Dakota Pipeline Protest online?

One cyber social justice movement that is taking place right now is one that calls for Facebook users to “check in” at Standing Rock Indian Reservation in order to confuse the Morton County Sheriff’s Department that has been using Facebook check-ins to locate and target protestors who are trying to protect the Indian reservation’s holy land and water supply. Here we see a Facebook user (my friend Marissa), check in on Facebook and then post a separate call for action post to her Facebook friends that informs them of the situation and provides guidelines on how to use the social media platform to successfully help the cyber social justice movement. Access to the Internet and a desire to help enable cyber activists to help even if they cannot physically be present in North Dakota. This type of aid is something that would not have been imaginable just ten years ago.

With the ease and speed of access to information via the Internet today, many people feel overwhelmed by the amount of suffering going on in the world and feel lost and powerless when it comes to picking which ones to focus on and finding ways to help these causes. Cyber social justice movements empower people across the globe and give them not only a voice, but a way to participate, rather than just read an article.

Is Cyber Social Justice just as powerful as in in-person social justice?

As excellent as the web is at connecting, informing and giving a voice to the voiceless, the activist movements that take place online aren’t always effective in changing anything. Much like the Times article, “Millennials and the Age of Tumblr Activism” states that there are many instances when outrage on the Internet does not “translate into participation in the real world” (Safronova 3). Saying that cyber social justice or “hashtag activism” doesn’t accomplish anything is a gross generalization and falls in line with the rhetoric Baby Boomers use against Millennials (lazy, apathetic, entitled) meanwhile in reality Millennials are one of the most active, progressive generations the world has ever seen. Sometimes just the spreading of information online is enough to get someone to volunteer, donate, or change their mind. Of course there are others who feel that their job is done after they post a status but that is not the case for all. While in-person protests can be very effective, not everyone is able to be present and the presence of cyber social justice is a great help. It is the easiest, cheapest and fastest way to reach a large audience of people and can be an excellent tool to organize in-person meet ups. Online activism does not always turn into slacktivism but it is good to be cognizant of this phenomenon and try to not let it happen to you or close friends if you truly care about helping an issue.

Does the easiness of a Facebook check-in make the Standing Rock check-in an example of slacktivism?

The North Dakota Pipeline example is not an example of slacktivism. Most people who are checking in at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation and sharing information about it, are not able to fly out to North Dakota and add to the number of protestors there. Using the same means that the local sheriff’s department is using against the protestors, to confuse them, is an excellent use of an accessible tool. The easiness of it doesn’t translate to slacking but rather adds to the numbers of check ins, thereby making those who are targeting protestors’ jobs much more difficult to accomplish.

 

My Critical Media Analysis (made possible by digital media technology):

https://youtu.be/ENFLTOfI38E%20