Political Hashtags

Project 3: Political Hashtags

Dr. Dev Bose
ENG 101 FA15 190 201
Yasmeen Luqman

Political Hashtags

Political Hashtags
Martin Luther King Jr. used newspapers and television to inaugurate the civil rights
movements. In todays generation, social media is the platform. Social media has amplified
the effect of online activism. In the past couple years, platforms like Twitter, Facebook and
Instagram have grown exponentially on a global scale. On these platforms, there is an
instrument called the hashtag that uses the # symbol to sort information posted by users
around the world together. Hashtags have been used to group opinions on subjects or what
one is doing such as #nowlistening. This has increased the usage of social media hashtags
that have migrated into the business and political world. Political Hashtags have taken over
the trend; it is somewhat perceived as valid as checking the news. #ICantBreathe,
#BlackLivesMatter, and #BringBackOurGirls are examples of the political Hashtactivism
that has created international movements. The attention and engagement among Internet users
that a simple hashtag can bring forces local social issues to earn a place on news channels or
articles. The hashtag was initially used to organize information and today it is the symbol of
empowerment.
Political hashtags have surely earned a place in history, each year there are a couple
hashtags that cause a change in the world regardless of location. An article by Lindsey
Weedston investigates how hashtags have brought the fresh voices into some of our most
important conversations.. This reminded me of an interview I held with Dr. Maha Nassar,
who agreed that political hashtags might seem ineffective from a distance. However, they fuel
a conversation. It is crucial that opinions are reaching people that have a level of superior
control on society. #IStandWithAhmed was a hashtag that brought attention to President
Barack Obama, addressing Islamophobia and the no tolerance policing systems in schools.

Political Hashtags

What is truly enthralling about hashtags is that anyone that can get a hold of a smart
device can participate. #BringBackOurGirls was a hashtag that originated in the town of
Chibok in Nigeria when Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls. This hashtag pressured the
government to take action. An example of a hashtag that went wrong is #MyNYPD. The New
York Police Department invited people through Twitter to use the hashtag to share positive
photos, videos, tweets about officers. Sarina Larson reports More than 70,000 New Yorkers
responded on Twitter with graphic photos and videos of police officers engaging in violent
behavior. This array of police brutality was an initiator to the #MillionsMarchNYC protest
that responded to the case of Eric Garner and his unjustified death, under the hashtag
#ICantBreathe. These hashtags took minutes to overflow social media timelines and hours to
fill up the streets of New York City, Washington, Boston and other states with protests.
Popular figures such as celebrities, add a little more spice when engaging in political
hashtags and online activism. Due to their influence on the public eye, one must appreciate
the awareness that they bring to issues. Alicia Keys created a movement among fans from all
over the world called #WeAreHere. This inspired a conversation about Why are you here?
and promoted world peace, bringing in participation from influencers from around the world
and speaking up about what they sincerely care about. #nomakeupselfie is an example of a
hashtag that combats the social issue of bullying or self-consciousness.
There is an argument that political hashtags is lazy or sometimes referred to
slacktivism that is a combination of a person who is an activist but slacks. An article in
Forbes by Larissa Faw debates whether millennials are "Lazy or Avant-Garde Social
Activists?, Which examines how former generations of activists dismiss the millennial
choice of digital advocacy. Nonetheless, Millennials are sometimes referred to as the lazy
generation due to the fixation on media and ease of digital conquests. Social media is a more
efficient way to spread awareness by reflecting different interpretations of a cause. The

Political Hashtags

hashtag generations focus more on expression and by incorporating social responsibility into
everyday behavior as a result of the journey. This enables users to amplify their voices to
cause change, allowing you to create your own momentum. Philip N. Howard is a reporter for
the Pacific Standard online magazine; during the Arab Spring of Egypt in 2011 he was able to
interview an activist. The importance of political hashtags is emphasized in this interview as
the interviewee explains: We use Facebook to schedule the protests, Twitter to coordinate
and YouTube to tell the world. The article further explains how users can search for the
hashtag in order to coordinate with other attendees and well as spread the word.
This large interest of the social media network has caused matrimony with other media
outlets. The tonight show with Jon Stewart is one of the many talk shows that turn political
issues into comedy in order to fuel the conversation. Forbes has investigated the importance
of political hashtags on Twitter, using a dataset of 1.2 million tweets. Results portrayed that
tweets that contain one or more hashtags were 55% more likely to be retweeted than those
that did not include them. This engagement among users supports the idea of awareness.
This compelling use of the hashtag causes the internet to filter conversations; that will not
only have a place in history but for the next 20 or more years.
The hashtag is a prime example of how the current generations have managed to take
advantage of the Internet. The clutter of the digital world organizes by a simple # symbol
and brings together people despite their location. This power creates a more efficient flow of
opinions and groupthink, which is highly respected in democratic communities while making
advancements in conservative societies. The phenomenon of political hashtags will continue
to rise; it is a dimension where anyone can be an author, supporter, opponent or audience.

Political Hashtags

5
References

Cooper, S. (n.d.). Big Mistake: Making Fun Of Hashtags Instead Of Using Them.
Retrieved November 22, 2015, from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevecooper/2013/10/17/big-mistake-making-fun-ofhashtags-instead-of-using-them/

Dewey, C. (2014, May 14). #Bringbackourgirls, #Kony2012, and the complete, divisive
history of hashtag activism. Retrieved November 8, 2015.

Faw, L. (2012, October 23). Are Millennials Lazy Or Avant Garde Social Activists. Retrieved
November 8, 2015.

Herman, J. (n.d.). Hashtags and Human Rights: Activism in the Age of Twitter. Retrieved
November 22, 2015, from http://www.newsweek.com/hashtags-and-human-rightsactivism-age-twitter-290950

Howard, P. (n.d.). The Arab Spring's Cascading Effects. Retrieved November 22, 2015, from
http://www.psmag.com/business-economics/the-cascading-effects-of-the-arab-spring28575

Mitchell, T. (n.d.). Top 10 Social Activism Hashtags of 2014. Retrieved November 8, 2015.