#hasthtag

by A. Spyker

Keep texting!!!

Keep Hash-tagging!!!

     Thanks to the advancements in technology, it is now possible to connect and communicate across the world. The ability to reach out and connect has powered many like-minded individuals, who could otherwise be thousands of miles away from one another, to come together for certain causes and issues. Individuals are able to unite despite their different time zones.

Activism has changed now too.

This changed can be argued as something good or bad but either side one chooses, technology has contributed in making it possible for a globalized network in which the nature of activism has been influenced online.

There are many factors of technology and activism with regards to what is being said and how communication is being done. The focus here, with example of the “Bring Back Our Girls” campaign, is on the “hash-tag” effect of cyberactivism. With reference to this example, it is important to see the effects of cyberactivism for the “activists” involved as well as the influencing role on working to “Bring Back Our Girls.”

According to Techopedia, cyberactivism is the process of using Internet-based socializing and communication techniques to create, operate and manage activism of any type. It allows any individual or organization to utilize social networks and other online technologies to reach and gather followers, broadcast messages and progress a cause or movement.

Individuals across the globe have, through cyberactivism,  have been better able to unite with their thoughts, feelings and protests in sharing them through the interconnect networks online much more easily. 

Bring Back Our Girls ( #bringbackourgirls) has seen this sort of activism in which voices and protests have been shared across nations.

In April 2014, over 200 Nigerian female students were kidnapped from their school by Islamic extremist Boko Haram. The news of the kidnapping, and what felt like Nigerian officials doing very little to act in bringing the girls back to safety and taking more serious action against Boko Haram and his group, flooded the internet with comments, concerns, posts and gatherings across the world. 

The most commonly seen response to the kidnapping as a form of online activism was “the hash-tag”. 

Hashtag activism “is the act of fighting for or supporting a cause that people are advocating through social media like Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other networking websites. This is the kind of activism that does not require any action from the person other than sharing or “liking” a post or “retweeting” tweets on Twitter.”

The hash-tag campaign, “Bring Our Girls Back”, argues for there to be something done; an emphasis on action. Its success can be found in the attention that it has brought through all types of media connections. There have been celebrity endorsements and even governments discussing the matter.

It is even seen in the language of the campaign that calls for a united effort. The term "our" is used in that the world can now relate and  personalize more to the missing girls; there is more connection within the activism. Individuals had made a bond and connection to the girls and the issues related to their kidnapping. 

Although the activism was initiated for the return of the girls back to their families, it also brought more awareness to the oppression and discrimination against women. The oppression seen within relation to #bringbackourgirls highlights the dangers women must face with regards to gender discrimination by men for their safety and the additional issue for education prevention of girls.

It was now not just the one issue at hand but many issues that this campaign had placed attention on.

Critiques of the online activist efforts and hash-tagging have argued that there was little to be questioned of what was really going on or what the real issue were at hand. There are deeper social, political and economic issues that are related to the kidnappings.

In return to this argument, one of which I too can admittedly say I had, is that it did start and therefore actually place more emphasis on the issues that had always been a concern; the realities of oppression against women and education. The questions that were not originally being asked are now being forced to by those who are more involved. Governments, officials and those who are in power and have influence are not able to hide from the efforts from across the world. 

It is not ideal that a drastic situation had to reignite the conversation but it can be used to fight these matters. All across the world there was a united network in this cause, shows how it is a globally concern. 

Originally, I personally held the argument for that notion that hash-tagging was ineffective for progress and action.

How could something someone posted online fight a violent extremist group and be successful? 

It either appears to be a joke or doubtful that something seen online would change Boko Haram’s heart and that he would simply give back the girls he had kidnapped and mocked the efforts of their return. 

My own mind was actually shifted when I realized the actual source of power behind the mass produced spread of “hash-tag”. 

The power of activism, and specifically the social activism done online with hash-tag, is not to hash-tag them with fear but rather to spread the word for the cause and therefore place pressure on governments who have to power to respond to actual do something about it. 

There was not simple a small public outrage when the news of the girls broke out.

There was a global outrage.

Reactions from small street protests advanced to more amplified responses and activist contributors online.

Maybe it is in fact lazy protesting, where all one really had to do was “retweet” or hash-tag, but it worked in getting people to talk about it and acknowledge the issue at hand.

There is one major issue that I have come across during this particular campaign example.

Even simply a few months from when the initial kidnapped happened, the amount of news feed and public concern for what had happened seemed to have died down. 

Where did all of those hash-tags go?

What once filled Twitter  and Facebook pages by individuals of this great and deep concern seem to of have been forgotten.

The hash-tag might make an individual feel for themselves in being a part of a movement for a moment but as quickly as the awareness and hype had spread, it seemed to have disappeared.

This is not to say that people are not concerned and still remain to feel the way they do about this issue, but social activism online seems to have a short lifespan. I argue that it to be truly effective and for online activism to mean more, it must last as long as the issue does at hand, if not longer. 

The campaign did help. 

It has to be acknowledged that the overload online responses to the kidnappings did receive an abundance of attention. It should celebrate the rapid awareness and focus that it caused. 

I would argue that it did help because it if was not in place, it would of done less than it has with pressure for attention and action. I might have no caused from the desire immediate safe return of the girls back home, but it started something that it otherwise wouldn’t of.

Unfortunately, still many of the girls remain missing although rumors have been spread of a potential reconciliation.

With the world watching, they (Governments, officials etc.) cannot afford to look the other way. This issue cannot be ignored. With the world aware, thankfully, there is more pressure to respond. 

There is always a winning and losing side and activism in all forms is not a stranger to this at all.

Activists, whether online or out in the public, should stay strong and united in placing more pressure on those who have the ability to act and do something about it.

If there is one thing to take from all of this, it is to NOT stop.

DO NOT stop the talk of these girls who still remain missing. Do not stop because it is currently not the headline in the news. This is a huge weakness of cyberactivism.

Keep talking, texting and hash-tagging!

Do whatever it is to keep stories such as this one relevant. Do whatever it takes UNTIL there is change.