MEMORANDUM

To: Professor Laura Wilson

From: Natalie Galle
Date: November 1, 2020
Subject: Assignment 4: Digital Activism Analysis and Proposal

Introduction

For Assignment 4, I will be writing an analysis of a trending social justice hashtag and proposing
my own hashtag that would be relevant in our world today. For part one, I will be analyzing the
Black Lives Matter movement in regard to its digital activism. For part two, I will propose my
plan for a hashtag that will get climate change trending in order to start a digital activism
movement.

Part One: Analysis

Digital activism has become an important part of participating in activism, and Black Lives
Matter has been one of the most profound movements in the world - both on the Internet and off.
Any large social movement is shaped by the technology available to it at the time, and since
Black Lives Matter’s creation in 2013, the digital activism aspect of the movement has only
grown – see Figure 1. Black Lives Matter (or “BLM”) is a global organization primarily in the
U.S., U.K., and Canada (though the hashtag has been used in global demonstrations) with the
objective to eradicate white supremacy and prevent violence inflicted on Black communities by
the state and vigilantes.1 BLM strives to gain immediate improvements in the lives of Black
Americans by combating acts of violence, creating space for Black innovation, and centering
Black joy.1
 Figure 1: Demonstrators supporting #BlackLivesMatter.2

The digital activism of BLM began with Alicia Garza’s use of the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter in
response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer. Then, the movement became nationally
recognized when thousands of people used this hashtag during the reaction to the deaths of
Michael Brown and Eric Garner. #BlackLivesMatter is a response to the inequality and
dehumanization of Black Americans, but it’s more than that. It’s a call to action. In the
organization’s own words, the movement calls for “a world where Black lives are no longer
systematically targeted for demise.”1 The movement seeks to combat police brutality, over-
policing of minority neighborhoods, and the abuses committed by for-profit prisons.3 Black
Lives Matter started as a form of digital activism with its hashtag, which was the third most-used
social issue hashtag in the 10-year history of Twitter (#Ferguson being number one).4 It has
become so popular that notable brands all over the world now use it. For example, Figure 2
shows Twitter supporting #BlackLivesMatter following the protests in response to the death of
George Floyd.
 Figure 2: Twitter supporting #BlackLivesMatter.5

It has branched out to include online petitions, YouTube videos with ad money going towards
BLM, and celebrity promotion. However, it has evolved into much more than a hashtag for
digital activism. The movement now fights systematic racism and discrimination through
political action, letter writing campaigns, and nonviolent protests. Its efforts have also called for
better training for police, greater accountability for police misconduct, and reducing police
department budgets to allocate funds to community social services.3 Most recently, BLM has
launched #WhatMatters2020. This new hashtag aims to maximize the impact of the Black Lives
Matter movement by galvanizing BLM supporters and allies to the polls in the 2020 U.S.
Presidential Election to build collective power and ensure candidates are held accountable for the
issues that systematically and disproportionately impact Black and under-served communities
across the United States.6

The intended audience for BLM is wide-ranging. Black Lives Matter aims to have Black people
as their audience so as to “affirm our humanity, our contributions to this society, and our
resilience in the face of deadly oppression.”1 BLM directs its call to end police brutality at policy
makers and the government. Also, the movement demands an end to white supremacy, and this
call to action is aimed directly at white supremacists and those who support them despite this.
The movement uses many rhetorical tools effectively. BLM uses pathos to call for Black
Americans to have the same basic human rights afforded to white Americans. This use of pathos
is utilized by directly referencing the victims of unjust police brutality such as George Floyd,
Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, Walter Scott, and Breonna Taylor. By using the hashtag and
referencing these victims, BLM creates an emotional plea to its audience to stop the brutality and
murder of unarmed Black people. This has proven to be an effective rhetorical tool, and it’s
shown by the popularity increase of BLM within recent years. An estimated 15 to 26 million
people participated in the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in the United States - making BLM
one of the largest movements in United States history.7 Logos and ethos are also used for
#BlackLivesMatter. Logos can be seen when facts and statistics on police violence towards
Black people, Black incarceration rates, and racial disparity are found under the hashtag - as well
as on websites that support the movement. Ethos is used through the official website for BLM.
Credibility has been established for the organization’s website over the years because of its
presence and focus on Black communities. Black Lives Matter is an example of digital activism
that has gone beyond its presence online. It has evolved into one of the most important
movements of our time by utilizing rhetorical appeals to garner attention from a wide audience
for the purpose of fighting systematic racism and violence towards Black people all over the
world.

Part Two: Proposal

Climate change is an important issue that society faces, but it has not gathered much attention in
terms of digital activism. Climate change is debated on online platforms - most often during
climate change protests - but there isn’t a significant hashtag that allows for a collective
movement for climate change prevention. This is needed because climate change will become a
very big problem for the world soon, and there are still many people who deny that it even exists.
The target audience needs to first address people who deny climate change, despite what
scientists have said. However, because climate change will eventually affect everyone, the
audience can be vast and broad.

Calls to action can include supporting leaders who will fight climate change through regulations
and legislation. A call to action can also be very basic, such as imploring people to listen to
scientists and take the threat seriously. This can be done with a hashtag such as
#ClimateWillChange. Various rhetorical appeals can be incorporated along with the hashtag.
Pathos could be used by showing all of the children who will be affected by climate change in
the years to come. An example of this is seen in Figure 3. This image along with the hashtag
#ClimateWillChange could garner a lot of attention because of its powerful message. Logos
could be used with threads of facts on Twitter under the hashtag. Also, ethos could be used if
notable scientists - or anyone well informed on the threat of climate change - endorsed the
movement.
 Figure 3: Example of pathos that could be used in conjunction with #ClimateWillChange.8

The intended outcome of this online activism would be to raise more awareness for climate
change and make electing world leaders to help combat climate change a priority. The digital
activism for this movement needs to also call for all nations to work together for prevention.
Also, using social media effectively will be important for making sure that climate change
trends. This can be done through tweets with the hashtag that are paired with the rhetorical
devices mentioned earlier. It is important that this movement trends so people can understand the
eventual dangers of climate change. Again, the best way for this to occur is with the use of a
significant hashtag, such as #ClimateWillChange. If this is created, there will be a unifying
movement for climate change prevention that will hopefully produce significant results for the
fight against climate change.

References
1. “About - Black Lives Matter,” Black Lives Matter, Date Accessed 24 Oct. 2020,
https://blacklivesmatter.com/about/.

2. Morgan Winsor, “Black Lives Matter Protests Go Global, From Ireland to South Africa,”
ABC News, 13 July 2016, Date Accessed 29 Oct. 2020,
https://abcnews.go.com/International/black-lives-matter-protests-global-ireland-south-
africa/story?id=40546549.

3. “Black Lives Matter,” Britannica, Date Accessed 24 Oct. 2020,

https://www.britannica.com/event/shooting-of-Trayvon-Martin.

4. Monica Anderson, “The Hashtag #BlackLivesMatter Emerges: Social Activism on

Twitter,” Pew Research Center, 15 Aug. 2016, Date Accessed 25 Oct. 2020,
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2016/08/15/the-hashtag-blacklivesmatter-emerges-
social-activism-on-twitter/.

5. Ellen Cranley, “Twitter Changed its Profile to Honor Black Lives Matter amid George
Floyd Protest,” Business Insider, 31 May 2020, Date Accessed 29 Oct. 2020,
https://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-changed-profile-black-lives-matter-2020-5

6. “BLM’s #WhatMatters2020,” Black Lives Matter, Date Accessed 25 Oct. 2020,

https://blacklivesmatter.com/what-matters-2020/

7. Larry Buchanan, “Black Lives Matter May Be the Largest Movement in U.S. History,”
The New York Times, 3 July 2020, Date Accessed 29 Oct. 2020,
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/03/us/george-floyd-protests-crowd-
size.html

8. “The Best Climate Strike Signs from Around the Globe - In Pictures,” The Guardian, 20
Sept. 2019, Date Accessed 30 Oct. 2020, https://www.theguardian.com/us-
news/gallery/2019/sep/20/the-best-climate-strike-signs-from-around-the-globe-in-
pictures.