Can social media trigger a social change?

The Arab Spring that grew on Internet and ultimately threw out the government in Egypt posed an important question ‘Can social media bring about a social change?’ The answer is ‘yes’. It has done so in the recent past and has all the power to repeat it in any part of the world in future. Martin Luther King spread his message among the masses through the social media of those days—pamphlets, ballads and woodcuts. Similarly, protesters in the Middle East and North Africa used the social media of the present generation—Internet.

Perhaps, this is the only reason that the Chinese communist government monitors online activities of its citizens and has banned several sites. Social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter and the like have become the tools of mass mobilisation and reinvented social activism. The technology has given birth to Cyber Activism. People can pick up topics and voice their opinion which will reach millions in the blink of an eye.

Social revolutions in Iran and Egypt are examples of people using online tools to bring about social change for a bright future for the generations to come. Over three-million tweets, thousands of videos and blog posts went viral on the Internet during the uprising across the Middle East and North Africa.

When Anna Hazare sat on a fast-unto-death against corruption at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, there were many online internet geeks-turned-social activists who mobilised people across the country and organised similar protests in many cities. It was not possible for Anna and his team to garner such strong support from the masses without social media tools. ‘Anna Hazare’ was the most searched term on Internet in India in 2011.

It is not that there was no successful social movement before the inception of Internet but online tools have made communication easier than ever before. Experts say that we cannot give all the credit to the social media for the success of these social revolutions and nor we can take away the credit for the success. When thousands of people stand up for a cause they can ask for support from people living in the length and breadth of the world. Social activists build solidarity; involve people online and offline and co-ordinate their actions with others to fight for their cause.

Many NGOs have begun Facebook communities and forums to spread awareness on globalisation, child welfare, infanticide, women empowerment, environment conservation and many other environment related campaigns. People can join these campaigns by registering themselves on the websites of NGOs’ and plan an event in their cities. The tools of modern technology have not only brought us together but have also made sharing of information quicker and easier than earlier times.