Social media as a justice platform
- Charlotte van den Hoogen
- Nov 6, 2020
- 2 min read
Social media has shaped our current day world in many ways. One of which is the ease of access and spreading of information. Now more than ever, we are able to connect and communicate beyond borders. Though sometimes clouded by the huge amount of content published, everyone has a voice in this social media environment. This gives room for marginalised groups to speak out, and more importantly, to be heard. By providing anyone with a voice, social media has not only become a platform for inspiration, fun and connection, but also for social movements. We have seen social media being used for environmental movements, the #metoo movement and as a platform to defend LGBTQ+ rights, but perhaps the best and most obvious example to explore is the Black Lives Matter movement. The movement itself has existed for longer, but has gained a large, international following in May 2020.
On May 25th, video footage of George Floyd’s murder by four Minneapolis police officers sparked local protests that quickly transferred onto the online sphere. Social media feeds were filled with either live videos of protesters and police brutality or online activism under the hashtag #blacklivesmatter, and the movement kept growing. In fact, the Black Lives Matter movement has become the largest social movement America has seen. The reasons for this are two-fold. One: the availability of material, guidance and a framework for new activists which, facilitated by social media, have reached a large audience in a short amount of time. Two: in the weeks after George Floyd’s murder, support for Black Lives Matter has increased by almost as much as it had over two years prior.
This shift in support for Black Lives Matter may have to do with the accessibility and aesthetics of educational resources that were being shared. Even in de midst of a large-scale social movement, we are more attracted to nice graphics than we are to lengthy pieces of text. Cue social justice slideshows. We’ve all seen them: aesthetically pleasing graphics containing resources on how you can support the Black Lives Matter movement. These graphics have been designed similarly to how millennial-facing brands design social media content, focusing on elements that are favoured by the Instagram algorithm. Whilst they seem to work- they open up the conversation to those who are less politically inclined- there is an argument for the ethical implications of aestheticising human-rights related issues like these.
And then there’s brands joining the mix, threading a thin line between supporting the movement and exploiting it for their own personal branding. As a brand, there are no real guidelines as to how you should behave, there is large possibility for backlash either way. I would say that integrity remains vital in whatever you do. Are you showing support for the movement and actively reflecting on your business, implementing change where necessary? Or are you simply using the movement for your own corporate mission without addressing issues within your business? The difference is of more relevance than you may think.
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