Now more than ever, being an activist on social media and in person is incredibly important. Social movements took the summer by storm, especially the Black Lives Matter movement, but now, the hashtags for social movements are not trending.
Maria Rativa, a sophomore communication major at NSU, is notably active about expressing her views on social media pertaining to social and political movements.
“Social activism is really important, especially after a hashtag dies because you can’t just wait and only [post] when things are at their peak. When a topic is important and you are passionate about it, it is important to keep it up,” she said.
After a hashtag, such as #blacklivesmatter, is no longer trending, the conversation about protecting people of color (POC) and their rights does not need to end. Speaking to friends, family and those with opposing views plays a momentous role in social and political movements. It is possible to receive backlash from people, and to an extent, this means the posts are being seen and the information is being received.
Social and political movements largely impact POC and people who are part of minority groups. POC and minorities make up a large group of the voter population in the U.S., according to the Pew Research Center.
Staying active, even after a hashtag is no longer trending, greatly improves the chances of the voices of minorities and POC being heard. Even if a person is not a POC or a part of a minority group, advocating for the rights and protections of those who are is incredibly important .
Many people on social media are millennials (people between 24 and 39 in 2020) and Generation Z (people under the age of 24 in 2020). In the 2016 election, millennials became the second largest voting group, surpassing Generation X (people between 40 and 55 in 2020), according to the Pew Research Center.
With older Generation Z and younger millennials forming the majority of Instagram users, it is clear why posting and using hashtags for information on social and political movements is so critical, even when they are no longer trending and it is no longer “cool” to be an activist.
Only posting or speaking out once at the peak of a movement and never again does not even begin to be enough. Speaking out on social and political injustice is how improvements are made to the system.
