#blurred lines

                       Digital activism is the attempt to promote awareness of social and political issues through the use of internet based platforms and forums. Easy access and widespread sharing created by use of the internet allows for an activist topic to gain widespread public knowledge and support for certain issues quickly.

One example of digital activism not mentioned in the readings that I can recall clearly is #blacklivesmatter. The website for this is blacklivesmatter.com.

I did enjoy the reading on digital activism as I found it accurate and informative. I agree with the reading when it stated that some digital activism movements are, “too reductive and passive, defining this new era of activism as 'clicktivism', 'slacktivism' and 'armchair activism”. I find that digital activism often times seems to take the form of a trend.

I understand that we live in a complex global society and that there are many serious issues to be brought to light, however, as a user/ consumer of social media as television I feel as though that the lines between reality and entertainment all too often blur the seriousness of an issue.

 I think that these blurred lines result from the sensationalism that social media creates over any trivial topic in our celebrity obsessed pop culture. Coupling this idea with the fact social media often is used to sell and promotes products as well as endorse public figures I am not quite sure how serious to take movements that gain momentum on line.

Sadly, I do think that since so many of us are on line so often that “some powers at be” may prey on social media users by creating a constant offering of news stories and topics as they realize that our society is a culture of screen blazing iPhone uses who may constantly be looking for the next big story, the next exciting topic, the next update, and the latest trending hashtag.

Digital activism campaigns do seem to lose their effectiveness over time and news stories are begot by new news so frequently that I think digital activism campaigns will struggle to maintain the publics support and attention over a significant amount of time.  I can’t help but ask are those lending support to current issues by means of digital activism doing so because it is the right thing to do or are they lending their support because it is the “trendy” thing to do?