The power and influence of social media in present-day activism cannot be understated. Almost everyone uses it, but few speak of it fondly. While the negative effects of social media shouldn’t be ignored, I believe that social media as a tool for social change is invaluable. As Wendy Syfret discusses in their book, “How to Think Like an Activist”, the ability of the Black Lives Matter movement to explode worldwide was due in large part to social media. This began with videos being shared showing the murder of young black men and boys including Trayvon Martin, who was just seventeen when he was murdered, Eric Garner and Michael Brown. (Syfret, 31).

         A new breaking point was reached in May of 2020 with yet another unarmed black man, George Floyd, being murdered by Minneapolis police. As pictured in this week’s snapshot by Sanae Butler, protests and demonstrations spread like wildfire first throughout the U.S. and later across the globe. The ability for any person to go online and instantly learn the details of when and where the next protest was going to be, along with an outpouring of sharing on social media allowed support for the movement to multiply rapidly. 

         Of course, social media isn’t the only way for activists to raise awareness about an issue, as proven in the film “Girl Connected”, directed by Koen Suidgeest. The film follows five young women activists from various countries, displaying their motivations and actions for their individual causes. Josi is a young woman from Peru who noticed that many of her peers were becoming pregnant at a young age, cutting them off from other opportunities and creating a difficult set of circumstances for a young person to bear. Josi takes to the streets with a group of her friends, all equipped with megaphones to rally their neighbors to the public park in order to give a seminar on the consequences of unsafe sex. 

         “Girl Connected” is hugely inspiring because it chronicles each of these individual’s unique forms of activism, demonstrating that a difference can be made in the lives of others even by those who have been traditionally viewed as powerless. The young women chronicled come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and countries in which women’s rights have not caught up to where they are in places like the United States. Despite this, they persevere and succeed in empowering others. Ayesha, from India, was unable to continue her schooling when her teachers could not accommodate the seizures caused by her epilepsy. That didn’t stop her from carving a non-traditional path for herself through Karate. She competes nationally and internationally, and trains other women and girls in the art of self-defense. 

         “To maintain an action for months, years or even decades you need more than a Facebook group. You need the support and trust of a solid community of like-minded activists, which is why the most impactful actions pair digital activism with traditional, person-to-person methods,” (Syfret, 31). Social media creates, grows, and reinforces communities of activists in real life. Going forward, we must use all tools available to us to invoke change.