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Black Lives Matter
Following the death of 17 year old Trayvon Martin several platforms began using the hashtag 'black lives matter' or 'blm' for short. The movement trended on twitter and soon after several videos surfaced on youtube depicting police brutality against the African-American community. The movement is functioning after four years and continues to take action against systematic racism. (https://blacklivesmatter.com/) -
Dakota Access Pipeline
The pipeline was highly controversial for its impact on the environment, the native american land, and the local water supply. Through social media, specifically youtube, protestors were able to document historical sites being bulldozed and protestors being attacked. Uploaded videos online increased the media coverage and made the protestors voices far more heard. -
Donald Trump Presidency and the Women's March
A variety of social media platforms have been used to disrupt and challenge the President. Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit etc proved to be useful in organizing protest such as the Women's March on January 21, 2017. Interesting enough, social media has been a medium not only for protestors, but for the President to respond to the media and critics. The narrative in this case is a constant battle between the two parties. -
Separation of Immigrant Families at the Border
More recently Donald Trump ended the separation of immigrant parents and children at the border after immense nationwide pressure. Part of this was due to the narrative that was being projected at the facilities where these families were being detained. Videos/ photos surfaced online showed children in cage like enclosures crying for their parents. These videos helped boost media coverage and eventually an executive order was signed to stop this from taking place. -
National High School Walkout for Gun Safety
I chose to include this disruption, because I felt that it was interesting to include that this is a trend that even teenagers are taking part in. A variety of social media platforms were used to coordinate walkouts throughout the country in an attempt for young people to push for legislation that demands gun safety. David Hogg, a survivor of the attacks in Florida, became the face of this movement and has gained popularity amongst adolescents.
