#cellphonepower

Question 1a:

Cell phones have become important tools for activism. Explain how cell phones give power to individuals to document and share social injustices and enable movements like #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo to gain momentum. How does this ability change who has the power in society? Any examples should be from the last 5 years. 

Cell phones have transformed the world of activism by empowering individuals to document and share social injustices. With smartphones, cameras and social media apps, anyone can now record wrongdoings and share them with people all over the world. This (democratization) has made it easier for everyone to spread important information and has been a big part of movements like #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo, helping them grow and make a huge impact. People can now speak up and show evidence that might have otherwise been ignored.

Being able to record videos and take pictures has become a huge part of activism. For example, in 2020, the tragic death of George Floyd was filmed by a bystander on their smartphone (citizen Journalism). The video showed Floyd begging for his life while a police officer knelt on his neck. It quickly went viral leading to massive protests around the world against police brutality and racism. This shows how just one video can spark a movement and bring attention to injustices that might have been ignored. Without cell phones, it’s likely that many incidents like this would not have gotten the same kind of attention.

The #MeToo movement which became popular in 2017, used social media to allow survivors of sexual harassment and assault to share their stories. Hashtags like #MeToo connected people’s experiences, making it easier for them to support one another. The viral aspect of these posts helped the movement grow and gave more people the courage to speak out against their abusers. By sharing these stories through cell phones, the movement spread quickly, bringing more awareness to sexual violence in the workplace and beyond.

The ability to share these events has shifted power in society. Before cell phones, the ability to report and spread information was mostly controlled by governments, the media, or other powerful forms. Now, anyone with a phone can share important events with the world (thanks to social media). This change means that groups who were often ignored, like people of color or victims of harassment, now have a platform to speak out and demand change.

The #BlackLivesMatter movement on the above website hows how the movement surged on Twitter after George Floyd's death, showing the power of social media in increasing voices and organizing protests. The hashtag shows how online activism can shift power from traditional media outlet to everyday people.

The #MeToo movement on the site above shows how social media and hashtags empower survivors of sexual harassment and assault to share their stories. The movement shows how the democratization of information through hashtags shifts power, allowing people to push for social and cultural change.

REFERENCES:

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/06/10/blacklivesmatter-surges-on-twitter-after-george-floyds-death/