Pro Activism on Twitter

In seventh grade I joined Twitter solely to follow Katy Perry. At age 12, I respected Katy Perry’s opinion and looked up to her as a role model (this may be a clue to stop reading this column). After being an active member on the site for about 4 years, my role models have evolved and the way I view the world has become increasingly critical. Throughout my 4 years on Twitter, I have been shocked by Miley Cyrus’s scandalous VMA performance, made jokes about Justin Bieber’s misadventures, and praised Beyoncé’s secret album; but, more importantly, I have seen teens unite to combat prevalent issues in today’s society in peaceful and effective ways.

Teens are given a voice through social media platforms, especially Tumblr and Twitter. Whether good or bad, teens have the ability to display their thoughts and ideas and opinions at all times. A constant flow of new information has lessened the need for teens to rely upon adults for news. Instead of receiving news from a single source, such as a teacher or a parent, teens are exposed to millions of different opinions and perspectives every day. This gives teenagers the ability to synthesize their world and form their own unique opinions that could diverge from those of the adults physically around them.

In the wake of recent events in Ferguson and subsequent acts of police brutality, young people have taken to Twitter to voice their opinions. The hashtag #BlackLivesMatter has been circulated to show support for Michael Brown, the man shot by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, and other black people who have died due to police brutality or violent acts spurred by racism, such as Eric Garner’s death at the hands of the NYPD. After the Grand Jury’s decision to not try Wilson, adolescents took to Twitter to express their outrage and approximately 3.9 million tweets with the hashtag #Ferguson were posted. I would estimate that roughly one half of the people I follow on Twitter, who are mostly my classmates, had something to say about the decision and the American justice system as a whole, which shows how teens are taking active steps towards becoming educated in the news and getting involved in national discussions.

Twitter and other forms of social media can help foster a less myopic worldview for teens. The events in Ferguson is not an incident that is close to home for Cape Codders logistically; yet teens still took to Twitter to show compassion for people that may be different and unrelatable. Twitter should not be trivialized as simply an app that many teenagers use; it is a vehicle for voicing the opinions of a community, a nation and a world.

Con Activism on Twitter

As a strong believer in voicing my personal opinion and creative writing, I love to see Twitter utilized as an outlet for humor or an occasional rant. However, scrolling through a feed of “this homework is killing me” and “PSA Elf is on” makes a Ferguson tweet about justice or injustice seem just a little bit out of place. Twitter is an open canvas for expressing opinions and creativity, but the abundance of misinformation for Tweeters only closes the lens through which we can view these intricate topics.

Twitter has now become a third-hand news source, often skewing the facts on the realities. The hierarchy of information we receive should stem from our top news sources such as The New York Times or The Boston Globe, but as our rapid need for information increases, a 140 character synopsis seems a lot more informative than a lengthy news article. And in a case as complex as Ferguson, 140 characters simply isn’t enough room to voice an educated argument on the issue.

Reading through the #Ferguson, I could not sift through the 7.8 million tweets to find the true facts. One tweet accounted for six gunshots, and another: 15. However, the misinformation only spread further as the public staggered onto Twitter skimming through the most recent appearances on their feed. Those who were brand new to the discussion began forming their own opinionated Tweets based on the misinformation already spread on their newsfeed, creating a movement of confusion as opposed to a movement of trust.

A top journalist does not have the elite Twitter power of a breakout Vine sensation or parody account mastermind and therefore cannot cater to the common Tweeter faster than the millionaire’s club accounts. We can easily be sucked into believing the information given on an account with the highest popularity as opposed to the account with the most accurate data. In some cases, the competition for favorites and notoriety can even become more powerful than the movement itself.

Take, for instance, the Occupy Wall Street movement of 2011. When the movement began, there was an uproar throughout all social media outlets and hundreds of Twitter accounts were started to support the “we are the 99 percent!” campaign. The best tweets and posts were often the most creative with many formed out of the subtle enjoyment of participating in such a widely known campaign. But now, just three years later, makeshift camps have dwindled and the economic conditions remain stagnant from when the campaign began. For many, it is our nature to join into movements where we feel have hope and are backed by a trending popularity. But as soon as that popularity fades, the interest dies with it.

I’m not saying these Twitter movements are wasting our excitement. These hashtags and campaigns are easy to access and can hook millions of people into a worldwide discussion. But Twitter only offers a taste of the true argument and a crumb of the real movement. And it seems as though there is minimal jumping online between the two sides. When we take part in #Ferguson, we’re either on Michael Brown’s side or Darren Wilson’s. The infuriated Tweets only fuel the divide as most viewers aren’t phased by another political viewpoint. If we want to truly cause change in our nation, we need to jump up out of the computer chair and participate in peaceful protests, spread factual news articles, and form a movement that will go the distance and destroy a 140 character word limit.