#stopfundinghate

#restinpower

#dominiquefells

#riahmilton

#ninapop

#blacktranswomenmatter

#blacktranslivesmatter

#allblacklivesmatter

#dismantlewhitesupremacy

#dismantlepatriarchy

#dismantlethesystem

#noname

#blackartists

#blackrevolution

#blackpower

#blacklivesmatter✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿

Many believe that as of recent, the world has entered a mentality of ‘sousveillance’. Coined by Steve Mann, the term ‘sousveillance’ reflects the opposite of surveillance. This means that although we are constantly being watched over by the Government and large corporations, these groups and the officials within them are being monitored just as closely by us (Light 2020). With the rise of the Internet and social media platforms, users are able to both post and view regular updates from another city, state or country around the world. Anyone has the ability to be a journalist of their own accord, meaning that the resources are limitless. This gives the population the ability to be highly critical. Any misstep of a politician or a billionaire is relentlessly published over thousands of news sources.

This rapid dissemination of information leads to a build up of knowledge and therefore opinions. People are distraught as they read anecdotes of the struggles of others, and as the secrets of the powerful are exposed. As a result, there has been a wave of what is often referred to as ‘clicktivism’, defined by The Oxford English Dictionary as “the use of social media and other online methods to promote a cause” (Clicktivism 2020). The online sphere has been a location for many waves of activism, and this can be attributed to the simplicity of it. To participate in an online campaign, it is as straightforward as tweeting a hashtag, signing a petition, transferring money or producing something creative (Clicktivism 2020). The power of these seemingly small actions can be derived from the masses. If thousands or even millions of individuals participate, declare their opinion through a tweet or two, the impact of these minor contributions can become major. 

Image from @coast.designstudio on Instagram

This can be seen in the UK’s #StopFundingHate campaign. Discussed through an ‘Impakter’ article in 2018, co-founder Richard Wilson explains that the campaign was launched in 2016 in response to anti-migrant rhetoric stemming from news outlets including the Daily Mail, Sun and Daily Express over the previous year (Wilson 2018). The video published to initially explain the campaign was immediately shared thousands of times on Facebook, accumulating over 3 million views in a matter of days. Their Facebook page and Twitter hashtag immediately became an outlet for conversation and expressions of concern that had existed well before the campaign began. He highlights how this build up of anger pushed supporters to send messages to companies themselves who were supporting these corporations. The first major success was initiated when supporter Bob Jones made a heartfelt post on Lego’s Facebook page, which was shared by thousands of followers. This one message led to Lego concluding their agreement with Daily Mail and ceasing any future promotional activity with them. Following this event, the hashtag #StopFundingHate began to trend globally, beyond the UK. Today, the campaign has influenced thousands of companies and online advertisers to draw their support from hateful sources, with The Sun publicly apologising and Daily Mail changing their editor of 26 years. In May 2017, Stop Funding Hate was invited to address a meeting of UN member states developing a new Global Compact for Migration. This is now formally adopted by UN member states, endorsing“stopping allocation of public funding… to media outlets that systematically promote intolerance, xenophobia, racism and other forms of discrimination towards migrants”.

Image from @artbaby.co on Instagram.

Despite the success of this campaign, it is also argued that clicktivism is not always enough. Mahatma Gandhi believed that we must be the change we want to see in the world (Ahern 2013). Tweeting #BlackLivesMatter or #StopFundingHate does not combat racism. Racism begins to be combatted when caucasian individuals acknowledge their privilege, recognise that this does not make them superior, and reach out to those who may be struggling to learn more and ask what it is that they need. It is important to take responsibility not over just large corporations, but to call out racism in ourselves and others. Clicktivism is a great beginning, however revolution is only possible with intentional internal change.

References:

Ahern, C 2013, Real change must come from within ourselves, The Sligo Champion, viewed 16th May 2020, https://www.independent.ie/regionals/sligochampion/opinion/real-change-must-come-from-within-ourselves-28983806.html 

Clicktivist 2020, What is clicktivism, viewed 16th May 2020, http://www.clicktivist.org/what-is-clicktivism 

Light, J 2020, Sousveillance, Reset, viewed 16th May 2020, https://en.reset.org/knowledge/sourveillance-11152016 

At the moment everybody is talking about Fake News on social media, but the perfidious relationship of the Tabloids and truth gets often overlooked in the wake of the debate. Though I would argue they are just as guilty of deceiving the masses.

Let me explain on with an example that demonstrates how they work. The following article appeared in the Daily Express a while ago.

There is nothing particular shocking or remarkable about this story by Daily Express standards, they publish several stories like this on a daily basis. It only caught my attention as I happen to be Austrian. What puzzled me is that if something even remotely like this would have happened, it would have made headlines back home. Yet, I have heard nothing about it. 

So I was looking for any mentioning and believe to have found what the primary source to have been in the Kleine Zeitung reporting about a local incident: “Nach sexuellem Übergriff: Asylwerber mit Erinnerungslücken”

Somalier (19) soll am Samstagmorgen eine Frau auf Toilette eines Lokals bedrängt haben. Später soll er noch eine Brieftasche gestohlen haben. Bei erster Einvernahme konnte er sich an nichts erinnern.

I’ll quickly recap what has happened according to the regional news:

A 19 year old, probably drunk, Somalian followed a 23 year old woman to the toilette in a club at 5am. Where he harassed her until shortly after another women entered the public restroom, upon seeing the other woman he left. The article does not mention rape, nor attempted rape, it does mention sexual harassment - bad enough, but a distinctively different charge. After this he left for another bar, where he stole the purse of a 22 year old woman, but not getting very far as police caught him straight away. He claimed not to remember anything. He was later admitted to the hospital in Klagenfurt. Police does not mention why he was hospitalized, but hinted towards a non related serious condition. Nowhere does the article mention anything about a coma.

What can we learn here?

The tabloid did not make up an entirely new story, they based it on something that really happened, just have been very liberal with their translation. Knowing very well that their readers would not be able to verify or look up what really happened. Sexual harassment became rape, hospitalized became comatose. 

They seem to push two agendas here: shock and excite their readers for once, but also reconfirm them on the other hand by trying to show them that things are much worse elsewhere. The motivation behind deceiving their audience like this is rather simple: it sells.

While crime is going down almost everywhere, the reporting of it has increased dramatically, as even little incidents like this make it into international news.

I would like to seize the opportunity to link to a project I am not directly involved with but very fond of never the less: http://www.stopfundinghate.org.uk/

And y'all are questioning why we are out here in the streets fighting for our rights!?

Look at this shit!

How does a grown man feel so threaten that he needs to shove w/ both hands a person half his size? Not only is this person not even in his weight class, she is unarmed.