http://www.inosr.net/inosr-arts-and-management/ Themba INOSR ARTS AND MANAGEMENT 4(1): 30-37, 2018. ©INOSR PUBLICATIONS International Network Organization for Scientific Research ISSN: 2705-1668 Social Media Activism: Limitation and Benefits Themba Benjamin Department of Humanities Africa University, Zimbabwe. ABSTRACT This study looks at the limitation and media and communications. Social media benefits of social media activism. Media have become increasingly pervasive. activism can be used for many different However, the literature on social purposes. It is often employed by movements and social media has not fully grassroots activists and anarchists to grasped just how much social media have spread information not available via fundamentally changed the landscape of mainstream media or to share censored organizational communication, ranging news stories. Certain forms of politically from stakeholders being able to directly motivated hacking and net-based mobilize resources to making grassroots campaigns are also considered media transnational social movements more activism. Often, the focus of media organizationally feasible. activism is to change policies relating to Keywords: Social, media, activism, limitation, benefits. INTRODUCTION Activism is action on behalf of a cause, based campaigns are also considered action that goes beyond what is media activism. Often, the focus of media conventional or routine. The action might activism is to change policies relating to be door-to-door canvassing, alternative media and communications radio, public meetings, rallies, or fasting. Social media (from mainstream platforms The cause might be women's rights, such as Facebook and Twitter to opposition to a factory, or world peace. organization-specific tools) have become Media activism is a broad category of increasingly pervasive. This is activism that utilizes media and exemplified by the diversity of uses communication technologies for social ranging from Twitter and Facebook use and political movements. Methods of during the Arab Spring [2] to the use of media activism include publishing news Snapchat by highly surveilled activist on websites, creating video and audio groups [3]. Many social movements have investigations, spreading information increasingly seen social media as a means about protests, and organizing campaigns to collaboratively crowd source with relating to media and communications diverse stakeholders [4]. In large policies. organizations, social media are often Media activism can be used for many supported because the technology can different purposes. It is often employed help foster the sense of a ―digital village‖ by grassroots activists and anarchists to [5], where individuals are able to ―see‖ the spread information not available via lives of others within their organization mainstream media or to share censored and feel closer to them [6]. Social media news stories [1]. Certain forms of are, of course, used commercially as a key politically motivated hacking and net- mode for product exposure and 30 http://www.inosr.net/inosr-arts-and-management/ Themba INOSR ARTS AND MANAGEMENT 4(1): 30-37, 2018. messaging [7]. However, the literature on disciplinary or domain-based silos that social movements and social media has have inhibited the asking and answering not fully grasped just how much social of important interdisciplinary questions media have fundamentally changed the that ultimately have real consequences to landscape of organizational social movements. Often, social media communication, ranging from contributions to the social movements stakeholders being able to directly literature have revolved around specific mobilize resources to making grassroots empirical case studies such as Occupy transnational social movements more [14], the Arab Spring [15], Dakota Access organizationally feasible. A major gap in Pipeline protests [16], and Black Lives the literature is this lack of understanding Matter [17]. This literature has also how social media have shaped social examined how social media have movement organizations (SMOs) and the facilitated the rapid development of organization of social movements. online movements which have sometimes Activism is a relatively new term, moved offline [18]. Although these introduced in the mid-70s and referring diverse empirical studies are to the ability to act and make or change fundamentally important to our history. ‗It reminds us that the world not knowledge of social media in social only is, but is made‘, as [8] wrote to a young activist. However, what is implied movements, broader organizational here is theorized at the level of social perspectives can help us understand how change theory, social movement theory, movements are increasingly or notions such as resistance, advocacy or interconnected online. In addition, social protest [9]; [10]; [11]. In any case, agency media have shaped and often and the make ability of society is central fundamentally influenced the landscape to any tentative definition of activism. As of organizational communication within [12] points out, ‗activism is generating the future of societies‘. Activism, from this social movements. For example, Twitter perspective, represents the practice of has been found to be a dominant struggling for change and can be fueled ―organizing mechanism‖ which by reactionary tendencies and aims, as fundamentally shapes a social well as progressive. [13] is thus fairly on movement‘s organizational structure the spot when it defines activism as an rather than merely serving as a mode of ‗intentional action to bring about social or communication [19]. Ultimately, social political change‘. It is appropriate to use Wikipedia here, as it is in its own right a media often create rippling effects which form of media activism, driven by the touch many different aspects of the copy left Creative Common ideals. Other movements process from resource forms of media activism include mobilization to actual interventions. They electronic advocacy, hacktivism, and may also be making SMOs more culture jamming. But it would be democratic, breaking down traditional reductive to only consider media activism here, excluding the crucial role of media hierarchies between activists, other and communication in activist strategies stakeholders, and movement leadership. and processes of social change The use of social media in movement The purpose of this Special Issue is to contexts is not only widely diverse but discern and answer large metaquestions also oftentimes complex or contentious. that are applicable to a variety of social In terms of the latter, for example, movements contexts. Often, the social microblogging may be seen to be a weak media literature has become trapped in form of activism (i.e., slacktivism) with 31 http://www.inosr.net/inosr-arts-and-management/ Themba INOSR ARTS AND MANAGEMENT 4(1): 30-37, 2018. [20] infamous argument that it is fairly large, distributed, global organizations. ineffectual. However, recent social Third, social media have a role in helping movements such as Black Lives Matter develop and maintain a sense of transitioned from tweet debates to action community in large activist organizations on the streets which profoundly shaped and can be a motivator for participating ―national discourse about race‖ [21]. in these platforms [11]. In studies of Activist organizations are increasingly enterprise social media use, tweet-like seeing the value of social media for microblogging was thought to lead to recruitment, public engagement, and ―more team cohesion and lead to faster campaign organization. Indeed, [22] book problem solving‖ [15]. Twitter has been on social movements in the Internet age is found to have linked geographically largely focused on social media disparate groups during the Occupy technologies. Social media can also movement [18]. Although social media effectively enable the sharing of data platforms can ultimately foster a powerful across traditional barriers such as ―sense of virtual community‖ [8], a geography. For example, Facebook helped practical reality is that social media can fuel the Dakota Access Pipleine (NoDAPL) be difficult to implement in terms of actions, with global social media users fostering a clear organizational structure, ―checking in‖ as though they were at the they are subject to governmental and physical protest to help activists on the other surveillance, and they often require ground avoid police surveillance based on vast amounts of resources to keep social Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking media networks alive. [3]. Given work on social media has found A less obvious issue is the lack of that women are more likely to be active understanding of how social media affect social media users [5], this may have the organization of activist networks. major implications for movements which Specifically, social media are often are organizationally gendered, ultimately thought to make activist movements more enabling women to have more of a transparent. However, social media can democratic involvement in some social and often do foster their own hierarchies movements. and privilege certain voices (usually more Social movements can and do draw from central to the organizational network). accumulated knowledge gleaned from Rather than being democratizing, social previous movements and activities. media—especially in the context of Historically, this is passed down from Twitter have been seen by some as generation to generation and movement leading