blogvictoriashafer-blog

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The Day Has Come

The day has come. My semester is coming to an end, and with this, my blogging career for my class is as well. Throughout this semester, I was able to learn a vast amount of information on social media and the huge impact it can have. Prior to this class, I viewed social media as a platform to connect, to share moments with friends, to entertain myself, and to socialize without having to put in much effort. Now I realize that social media is much more than that. 

In today’s society, social media has become an integral part of life online. And now it is being used to create change. As new tools continue to be developed across an increasing number of sectors, we become to see more use of social media features and capabilities. With this, social media has the capability to create awareness, change, and revolutions. Social media thus can successfully turn online action into offline action, which was demonstrated in various movements that I learned this semester. Throughout the semester, the class was divided into various groups that each individually worked on a chapter for a communal guide to online social movements, which I will publish on this account as soon at is released. With this, we collaboratively were able to write a book over the course of the semester and got to learn in-depth information about each movement. The weekly presentations highlighted the methods and strategies of social media employed by each movement, highlighting the most important platforms used by each movement, and the most influential pieces of content posted on those platforms. Along with this, additional information from readings and videos we were required to read and watch helped gain an even greater understanding and allowed me to critically analyze the various movements in a personal light. This personal information is what I was able to express in my weekly blog posts in that I was able to interpret my own understanding of the articles I read, videos I watched, and course lectures I attended and formulate personal articles that I shared with the world.

Not only did I share my knowledge with social media platforms and users, but also with the largest free encyclopedia in the world. Yes, I wrote my own article on Wikipedia. For the past 19 years of my life, Wikipedia has helped me out in many ways. Due to the vast amount of topics that Wikipedia covers, I have been able to easily get my information for any possible topic through simply searching it on Wikipedia. With this, my Wikipedia usage has always been based on the acquisition of quick information. However, my concept of Wikipedia has changed entirely due to the training I received from this course on Wikipedia. Prior to the Wikipedia education, I did not even know that I was able to contribute so easily to any possible topic I wanted to. The idea of Wikipedia as being a free encyclopedia that anyone had access to now turned into one that anyone can contribute to as well. So with this, I created my own article based on hashtag activism and wrote an article on #NODAPL, or the online movement behind "No Dakota Access Pipeline". This article was based on what I had learned in this class and now not only are my classmates able to see my work, but the entire world is able to see what I have created, which is far more appealing to me. A week after I created my article and published it, I did a web search for my topic on my search engine and was surprised to see my own writing at the top of the page. This was a very proud moment since before this, there was not much information on this topic, yet alone information written by me. For my article, readers will understand the vast importance of social media in the creation of the Dakota Access Pipeline movement and gain a greater understanding of the movement in general.

Being a student at UC Berkeley, I get to experience first hand the role that social media plays in rallying people and uniting them for a common cause. During the course of this semester, there have been various rallies going on around campus that have been coordinated through social media platforms. Social media is being galvanized to change public opinion and mobilize activists in various cases. Students, especially, use social media in their day to day lives, and with the spread of information on media, they are more exposed to this information. The increased exposure often leads to awareness and with this action for a common cause. Social media allows for individuals to let their voices be heard for any possible cause, whether it affects them personally, such as the Black Lives Matter, or whether it affects others, such as in Kony 2012. Social media has come to be a place in which many individuals, gathering on social networks, get the attention of mainstream media, with the potential to create social change. I believe that the future of social media will enable various voices from all around the world to be heard, creating a more aware society.

Thank you for following along my weekly blog posts and I am looking forward to sharing the final online book my classmates and I have worked hard this semester to create. 

Image:

https://umidigital.co.uk/blog/thepowerofsocialmedia/

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Social Unrest and Social Media in the Arab Spring

Social media played a significant role during the Arab Spring due to it being able to facilitate communication and interaction among participants of the political protests. Social media was used in many ways by protestors, such as to organize demonstrations, disseminate information about their activities, and raise local and global awareness of ongoing events.

The social media movement began with young Egyptians spreading the call to protest online after the Tunisian Revolution with the help of a Facebook campaign, "We Are All Khaled Said”. As the call to protest spread, online dissent moved into the offline world.  The Arab Spring began as a youth revolution that promote a collective struggle and with this, mobilized people online and offline. As individuals made their voices heard on social media, the movement gained an immense momentum that would simply not have been possible without the reach of social media. Social media played a critical role in the mobilization, empowerment, shaping opinions, and influencing change during the Arab Spring.

Social networks allowed for the sharing of common struggles and ideas, however, this was not the only way for people to communicate their efforts. The Arab Spring saw the emergence of an immense use of media devices like cell phones, to capture what was happening on video and post these to platforms such as YouTube and Twitter in order to cast light on the country's situation. This allows for a more global society, in that people from all over the world get a sense of what is going on through the information spread by the people on social media.

In the reading for this week, the journal article “The Arab Spring and Social Media Audiences” analyzed the role social media played in the Arab Spring, and it found that social media during the Arab Spring “played a role in informing, organizing, and reporting protest activities in the country”. The journal article strategically examined hashtag data sets and compared patterns of Twitter usage during the revolution in Egypt and the civil war in Libya. After analyzing more than millions tweets, the study found that social media played a central role in shaping political debates in the Arab Spring. With this, it shows once again how different movements are than they have been in the past. In todays time, revolutions are not just talked about in local regions; rather, they are tweeted, blogged, texted, and organized on platforms from Facebook, to twitter, to Instagram. With this, social media has carried inspiring stories of protest across national and international borders, creating an overall global awareness.

Sources:

Bruns, Axel, Tim Highfield, and Jean Burgess. “The Arab Spring and Social Media Audiences: English and Arabic Twitter Users and Their Networks.” American Behavioral Scientist 57, no. 7 (July 1, 2013): 871–98. 

Image:

http://campchamparabspring2014-1.blogspot.com/2014/04/posting-our-problems-role-of-facebook.html

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Virtual Communities for a Common Cause

When browsing any social media platform in the past year, it has been almost impossible to not run into the hashtags #DACA, #Heretostay, and #Dreamers. These twitter hashtags instantly spark sympathy for immigrants for me. I was lucky with my situation. Being born and raised in Germany, my family decided to move to California in 2015. For my family and I, this move was not easy, having to leave behind my entire previous life in a country far, far away, including my friends, my school, and my home. However, looking back now, my move was way easier than it is for many others to move to America. I am very fortunate to have passports for my American citizenship, as well as a European passport. Having dual citizenship means that I am a citizen of two countries at the same time, having legal rights and obligations in connection with both countries. My dual citizenship is due to me being a child of a U.S. born mother, but me being born overseas, therefore automatically being a citizen of both the U.S. and my country of birth.

Many have not experienced this fortune and are now struggling to get their citizenship. The emerging hashtags, such as #DACA and #Dreamers have become a symbol of the struggle of undocumented youth. The term Dreamers comes from the proposed DREAM Act first introduced in 2001, which offered legal status in return for attending college or joining the military. The name stuck ever since, and now that the Trump administration has decided to end DACA, it is being mentioned and can be heard all around the country. More than 800,000 young adults that came to the United States when they were children and made their lives here could now be deported due to the imminent revocation of the DACA program and the DREAM Act. This is a shocking fact I learned in this week’s class presentation on this movement.

Social media has had a great impact on this movement. Many have gotten their voices hear due to extreme exposure on various platforms, from Twitter to Instagram, to Facebook. With this, I recently ran into another virtual success for the DREAMers, which is that they now have their very own emoji, a happy face scarfed by an American flag. This emoji was designed by the Hispanic advertising agency GoDiversity as part of the Dreamers We Are With You campaign. The unifying symbol for DACA recipients and supporters is now being used across social media platforms. Furthermore, the icon attempts to challenge the notion that DREAMers aren’t American. I believe these people are an essential part of our communities and of our country, and they deserve to continue working and living here without fear.

The impact social media had on this movement brought about a similar idea that was presented in this weeks reading. In the journal article, ”Human rights organizations and online agenda setting”, the authors Niina Meriläinen and Marita Vos conducted a study to understand agenda setting by international human rights organizations on online social media platforms. Based on this study, I learned how drawing attention to human rights issues is a goal that leads to active online communication. The case of the DREAMers allowed for young individuals struggling to gain rights to get their voices heard through social media platforms, and with this, creating a community of supporters. Social media seems to be becoming more and more embedded in people’s everyday life, and with this, users are able to transcend geographic, racial, and age boundaries to create online communities. Social media has played a great role in connecting individuals from all over the world, whether this is Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. The ability of social media to create virtual communities has become an important way for individuals to organize and create change. I have found that social media platforms allow for individuals to connect and bond through individual interests, creating a sense of community. With this, social media allows users to feel constantly connected with individuals they would otherwise not be able to connect with. I believe that with the rise of social media, this creation of virtual communities for a common cause to create change will only increase from here.

Sources:

Niina Meriläinen, and Marita Vos. “Human Rights Organizations and Online Agenda Setting.” Corporate Communications: An International Journal 16, no. 4 (October 11, 2011): 293–310. Images:

 http://www.prweb.com/releases/2017/10/prweb14836189.htm

https://www.vox.com/first-person/2017/8/29/16220680/daca-trump-dreamers-undocumented-immigrants

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#DeleteUber and the Global Controversy of the Ride-Sharing App

As I got off my uber to enter class this week, I could not have entered a more ideal presentation. This week’s presentation presented the trending hashtag #DeleteUber. The hashtag #deleteuber was spread throughout the entire world in early 2017. The hashtag presents the backlash against Uber in response to accusations that the app intended to profit from a protest against President Trump’s executive order banning refugees and immigrants from certain countries from entering the United States.

Even though Uber has argued that its intentions were misunderstood, the online movement which has been spurred almost entirely through the social media platform Twitter did not seem to halt. Prior uber users decided to delete their Uber accounts. It began with the price surge elimination at the John F. Kennedy Airport on January 28, 2017, in which Uber posted a message on Twitter saying it had turned off its “surge pricing” feature, a function that increases the cost of a ride during times of high demand. The following creation of the hashtag #deleteuber led to about 500,000 people requested to delete their accounts in the week following the campaign's origin. And even though there's a chance that many of the people in the group of 500,000 did not delete their accounts for the reasons behind the #DeleteUber campaign, the hashtag was a start for many.

My usage of Uber is due to the easy transportation and cheap costs. When I previously opened the app on my phone to request a ride to and from any possible place, I used to not think about this choice and the companies intentions. My choice to request a driver to pick me up is due to the convenience of the app. Knowing more about the background and controversy of this app, I have learned of there being various reasons for which Uber has earned a less than pristine reputation.

Along with the hashtag #deleteuber, there have been various other accusations of this app. I recently traveled to Berlin, in which Uber is banned to the impact on the taxi business. The car-hailing service has been banned in Germany following a 2015 court ruling that found it violated regulations requiring all transport companies to use licensed drivers. Uber is facing increasing legal challenges across Europe, where local taxi drivers have taken to both the streets and courts to fight it. With this, it is being criticized worldwide over how it pays drivers, charges passengers and ensures their safety. Taxi companies argue it competes unfairly because it does not have to pay their steep license fees and bypasses local laws.

This has led to thousands of cab drivers protesting against Uber and other car-sharing services in major European cities, which is presented in the image. The image shows Taxi drivers gathering next to the Olympia Stadium to protest ride-sharing apps onion Berlin, Germany. These rallies spread across Berlin, Paris, Madrid, and London, causing major traffic jams and blocked roads. Their main argument was that Uber doesn't play by the same rules they do by failing to comply with local licensing regulations, not paying taxes and, bottom line, being an unfair competitor. The protests underscore how Europe's traditional taxi industry has been shaken up by the introduction of the U.S. startup.

Sources:

UGBA 192 AC Presentation 11/7/2017 on #DeleteUber

Images:

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/01/deleteuber-users-angry-trump-muslim-ban-scrap-app-170129082003307.html

http://mashable.com/2014/06/11/uber-protests-europe/

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Kony 2012 and the Use of Social Media to create a more Globally Aware Society

In 2012, I recall watching a short documentary film on Facebook that was receiving wide attention. This film was shocking since I had no prior knowledge of anything related to this topic. As I entered school the following day, this film was being discussed by every single student and teacher present due to its appalling content. This short film became to be known as Kony 2012, and its extreme viral spread made it of great public interest. The film promoted the charity’s “Stop Kony” movement to make the Ugandan militia leader Kony globally known in order to get him arrested. With the release of the video, Kony quickly became to be the most infamous person in the world. It seemed like overnight almost every single person I was befriended with on Facebook changed their profile picture to support the cause of Kony 2012. I was about the same age as the victimized girls that were kidnapped in this horrifying video.

As I learned in this weeks presentation on #KONY 2012, the organization had various tactics, and the foundation “Invisible Children exists to end violence and exploitation in our world”(Presentation 10/31). They aimed to create a world without violence, specifically targeting their cause in Uganda. The centerpiece of the project was the short film, posted to Facebook. The Kony 2012 video racked up more than 100 million views in a short period of time, making it, at the time, the most watched viral video in web history. The use of social media allowed for people to engage with the movement and spread awareness. Individuals could share the video with their Facebook friends. They could tweet at the African Union or celebrities. They could add their names to a Stop Kony pledge. The hashtag #StopKony was shared and retweeted by millions to show their support. Kony 2012 was turned into various memes. And overall, all of these activities on social media created an increased public awareness and raise millions for the “Invisible Children”.

After reviewing various movements in this class so far, from the Black Lives Matter movement to the #NODAPL movement, Kony 2012 presents a different kind of movement. I believe that the major difference between Kony 2012 and these more recent campaigns is that the latter ones were created and led by people directly affected by the issues they addressed, such as gun violence, racism, and police brutality. With this, these leaders used social media to tell their own stories in their own words, organizing online and off to come up with a series of demands that allies could support. This is far from the viral movement of Kony 2012, which reported on the struggle of Ugandan child soldiers. It was easy to get involved with the Kony 2012 campaign without knowing much about the Ugandan conflict due to the drastically simplified narrative. The movement offered various ways to support the cause and with this, was able to gain a huge profit in a short period of time. Even though most people could not directly relate to the conditions, compared to other movements such as the Black Lives Movement, people felt empathy and a need to support the helpless children of Uganda.

One of the messages of “Invisible Children” according to the presentation, was that “Anybody can change the world, but it’s difficult. And you should do it anyway”(Presentation 10/31), which has been a recurring theme in our class so far. Even though it may seem difficult to make a difference in the world and gain awareness to a cause, but it has been done times and times before and through various sources possible today, such as social media, it has become easier than ever. Social media allows for individuals to let their voices be heard for any possible cause, whether it affects them personally, such as the Black Lives Matter, or whether it affects others, such as in Kony 2012. I believe that the future of social media will enable various voices from all around the world to be heard, creating a more globally aware society.

Sources:

Image 1: https://ryanestis.com/uncategorized/kony-2012-a-social-movement-for-humanity/

Image 2: https://aboutglobalawareness.wordpress.com

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The Use of Social Media to Create Awareness and a Better Society

President Barack Obama participated. Beyoncé did as well. Jimmy Fallon and his guests did. Lebron James joined in as well. What all these celebrities have in common, is their participation the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. As a young man started dumping water in ice buckets over his head, challenging other individuals to do the same, the Ice Bucket Challenge quickly went viral. Social Media, such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, allowed for the movement to gain awareness of the disease of ALS all over the world. It was almost inevitable to scroll on a social media platform and not see friends, family members, or celebrities crush Ice Cold Water upon them. High profile celebrities participated to bring awareness to a widely unknown cause, gaining millions of views for their individual videos and challenging their high-profile connections to do as well. Since seemingly every individual on social media eventually participated, it allowed for widespread awareness of the disease that was mostly unheard of before.

Additionally, this week's reading, “Antidote to Terror: Teaching Empathy Through the Global Lives Project”, presents a very interesting approach to education through social media. They focused on education as a tool to “shape a new generation of students around the world that are breaking down cultural boundaries and seeing in one another our common humanity”(Wojcicki). And exactly this, is what the Global Lives Project focuses on. As the global lives project presents videos of life experiences around the world, allowing for students to study, discuss and reflect on the different lives that people live around the world due to various factors, such as living conditions, traditions, and culture. As we have learned more about the Global Lives Project in our class, I believe it is a great tool for exposing lives around the world to everybody, and with this, building a culture of global empathy.

I was fortunate enough to have been able to travel to Africa last year and to South Korea this summer. My passion for traveling has always been fueled by the possibility to immerse myself into new cultures and traditions. One of the most profound differences I have found is the different ways people live their day to day lives, whether this is the life of families or individuals. I was able to dive deep into the ways people act, think, and feel on a daily basis in various locations. There are so many different ways lives can be lived on a daily basis: urban people live differently from rural folk. The rich and the poor present vast differences in the lives. Many women spend their day in activities greatly different from those of men. Different jobs allow for different lives. Age differences allow for different day-to-day agendas.

By being able to be exposed to many different cultures, I was able to appreciate the diversity of people’s lives and gain a valuable worldview. I know that many individuals are not as fortunate as I was in being able to travel the world and be able to explore these vast cultures and traditions, which is where the Global Lives Project comes in for being such a valuable resource. The project publishes videos of people’s life experiences which reshapes how individuals conceive of cultures, nations, and people outside of their own. This exposure allows for a better worldview and an appreciation for the diversity of humanity.

I believe that the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and the Global Lives Matter Project have an important correlation, in that they both aim to spread awareness through the usage of social media, specifical videos on social media platforms. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge uses social media to post videos challenging users to dump an ice bucket of water over a person's head to promote awareness of the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and encouraging donations to the research of this disease. The videos and social media allowed for the media to gain awareness of a disease that was widely unknown before the movement. Similarly, the Global Lives Project allows for individuals to learn about the lives of diverse individuals through their videos, and with this gaining a global awareness of lives that they did not have any prior knowledge to. These are ways that organizations are using social media platforms to gain awareness for their causes for the bettering of society as a whole.

Sources: Wojcicki, Esther. “Antidote to Terror: Teaching Empathy Through the Global Lives Project.” The Huffington Post, December 15, 2015. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/esther-wojcicki/antidote-to-terror-teachi_b_8812072.html

Images:

https://asiartgallery.wordpress.com/2014/11/30/global-lives-project/

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/08/19/9-bay-area-sports-organizations-take-the-als-ice-bucket-challenge-donation-charity-giants-49ers-sharks-warriors-earthquakes/

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The Importance of Core Values in the Development in Social Movements

“Power dynamics shape, and are shaped by, the tools used by participants in social movements.”(Agarwal). This quote was presented in this weeks article of “Grassroots organizing in the digital age”. After learning more about the Occupy Wallstreet Movement during last weeks presentation, as well as other presentations of NoDAPL and Black Lives Matter, I have learned the immense impact social media can have on creating social change and bringing awareness to society’s issues. With the use of media, people can make their voices heard and reach a massive audience. Thus, social media has the possibility to create revolutions and change. As a social movement is developed, I believe it is important for the movement to develop key values of what they sit stands for, what it ought to achieve, and why it matters. In the midst of the excitement that comes towards beginning movements, it often is easy to forget what values are indispensable to the movement's success. With this, it is important to stick to the core values that each individual movement to be the most effective it can be

This weeks reading brought this new way of looking at social movements and social media that we have not touched upon in class so far. It focuses on the values, attitudes, and beliefs present in social movements and the relation to the use of technology. So far in this class, we have analyzed the creation and evolution of social movements and the impact social media had on them. With this, we have learned for example how the Indigenous youth created a hashtag online, #NODAPL, which became a viral phenomenon and captured the attention of Social Media users worldwide in order to protest the construction of the North Dakota Access Pipeline. The reading of this week digs deeper into these kinds of movements, by offering a value-based approach. It specifically analyzed the Occupy Wallstreet Movement and the values that are reflected in the organization's online spaces. For example, they found that the Occupy movements value of equality was supported in the movements web presence, as well as values such as privacy and security, as well as inclusion. These core values combined with their technological aspects are important in creating strong movements.

   This weeks presentation on Occupy Wall Street demonstrated how the movement used social media to spread nationwide. A deeper analysis of the movement showed how protesters used all forms of social media to keep the movement alive. Facebook pages popped up for major cities across the country, Twitter hashtags have been viral hits, and countless videos have been posted to YouTube, Vimeo and Livestream. And, despite having created a large network of social media sites, I believe organizers within the movement should not forget the reason of this movement. Among this immense social media hype, I think it is of vast importance for movements to stick to their core value throughput its evolution. 

Some ideas of core values that I think are important are for example:

Accountability- I believe it is important for organizations to set accountability measures for each member involved in the change-making process so that movements do not fail because of internal divisions.

Intersectionality- I believe that the importance of recognizing the intersectionality of issues is vast, in that without this, it is not activism. It is with this necessary to recognize the way a movements issue is connected with more socially complex issues than what may initially appear.

Inclusiveness- As a movement, we need one another as systems for support. People interested in the work that you are doing deserve a stake in the future of the movement, and equal opportunity to participate at the decision-making table and change-making process. It is up to us to utilize the talents of others to include them as a vital part of the work we do.

   These are just a few of many key values that organizations should focus on.  I believe that Successful organizations start with people firmly committed to a set of core values, which cannot be compromised without weakening the organization. Organizations need to focus on their core values to attract a broad diversity of those who come together because of these shared values. No matter what movement it is, from the Occupy Wallstreet Movement to the #NoDAPL movement, they need to remain focused on the issue and set up core values to achieve the biggest possible success.

Sources:

Agarwal, Sheetal D., Michael L. Barthel, Caterina Rost, Alan Borning, W. Lance Bennett, and Courtney N. Johnson. “Grassroots Organizing in the Digital Age: Considering Values and Technology in Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street.” Information, Communication & Society 17, no. 3 (March 16, 2014): 326–41.

Images:

http://www.tata.com/aboutus/articlesinside/Values-and-purpose

https://borgenproject.org/how-to-form-a-successful-social-movement/

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Media’s Movement  to Social Movement

The best way to get people away from their computer is through the computer. From virtual petitions to discussion forums on big issues, and the use of social media to recruit people for meetings and protests. All of these are ways in which today’s society attempts to gain widespread attention and engage citizens from all over their world frothier cause. Thanks to our smartphones and technology such as Facebook Live, everyday citizens have agency in their pockets to tell their own stories and spread it far and wide ― and fast. Additionally, protest movements used to include a lot of passing out fliers, petitioning and talking to people to organize, rather than today's quick post on Facebook and Twitter to get people's attention.  

In this weeks lecture, the first presentation of the semester wagon the hash #NODAPL. #NoDAPL is a hashtag and social media campaign for the struggle against the proposed and partially built Dakota Access Pipeline. The role social media played in this movement is so substantial that the movement itself is now often referred to by its hashtag: #NoDAPL. In the presentation, we learned how a pipeline meant to move oil across a few states became a nationwide issue through the use of social media. By taking their issue online, they received worldwide attention and made their issue known. Millions of people have issued public statements and/or shared their support and recognition of #NoDAPL on social media. For me, this showed me how social media has become such a big part of people’s lives and that using social media as a tool for the spread of a movement can be very successful due to the widespread attention that is given toward social media.

The example of #NODAPL demonstrates the effects social media can have on social movements. This week's readings presented another relevant example, which is that of the Occupy Wallstreet Movement. The media practices used in the Occupy movement, from the set of tools to the skills they used, all helped circulate and amplify the movement across various media platforms. These simple tools like Facebook and Twitter — through passionate individuals — build networks of individuals and take action to the streets. The reading, ”Mic Check! Media Cultures and the Occupy Movement” , analyzed three key areas of the movement intruder to inquire the social movement media culture of the Occupy Wallstreet movement. These were the practices use, the experts in the movement, and the openness of the movement. This allows for a research approach that is away from the “platform-centric analysis of the relationship between social movements and the media toward the concept of social movement media cultures”(3). After analyzing many aspects of this movement, they found that “Overall, the media culture of the Occupy movement leans strongly toward open, distributed and participatory processes” (11). With this, the movement included participation from various background, as well as race, class, and gender, showing how people from all over united for a common cause. Occupy Wall Street shows the power still of the media to create a platform for change. Social media has come to be a place in which many individuals, gathering on social networks, get the attention of mainstream media, with the potential to create social change.

Being a student at UC Berkeley, I get to experience first hand the role that social media plays in rallying people and uniting them for a common cause. In the past weeks, there have been various rallies going on around campus that have been coordinated through social media platforms. Social media is being galvanized to change public moping and mobilize activists in various cases. Students, especially, use social media in their day to day lives, and with the spread of information on media, they are more exposed to this information. The increased exposure often leads to awareness and with this action for a common cause. I believe that the role media plays on social mobilization will only increase from here, with the further growth and creation of various social media platforms and their technologies.

Sources: Costanza-Chock, Sasha. “Mic Check! Media Cultures and the Occupy Movement.” Social Movement Studies 11, no. 3–4 (August 1, 2012): 375–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14742837.2012.710746

Image:

http://blog.fundrazr.com/fundrazr-news/fundraising-nodapl-resistance-sioux-standing-rock-nodapl/

https://www.thinglink.com/scene/750868647412498434

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The Impact of Celebrity Culture

Today’s society has become so obsesses with celebrities. Through the use of social media today, society becomes involved in the lives of celebrities. This makes it almost impossible to escape celebrity cultures. Images and details of everything celebrities do, from grocery shopping to partying, are lasted all over media. Their love lives all over the internet. With this, we consume their private lives like public commodities. One aspect that is becoming ever present today, is the charitable involvement and political opinions celebrities are interested in. With having such controversial presidential elections in recent times. people have difficulty finding trustworthy sources. With this, many turn to the news or do their own research for information on the candidates. However, more and more individuals are beginning to get their information from celebrities. Celebrities are creating political activism due to the ever-increasing rise of online platforms. As stated in the article “The Network of Celebrity Politics”, “With the rise of networked media such as Twitter, celebrities’ ability to speak on policy matters directly to the public has become amplified”(Sage). With this, the elections are attracting most celebrity coverage and influence than ever. In the past elections, celebrities have usually tried to stay neutral on the topic as it can get controversial, but this past election was unlike the norm. With this. it seemed like every major celebrity had stated their endorsement and campaigned for their preferred party. Ultimately, celebrities have a huge influence on its audience.

I have witnessed various accounts of candidates attempting to gain support through celebrities especially in the last election. Hillary Clinton has gained the support of various celebrities, such as Kim Kardashian, Amy Schumer, and many more, and their voices have been published all over. I have seen these celebrities publish many pro-Hillary posts that made me revisit my opinion and definitely influenced me. Last year, she attended ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’, in which she performed the millennial dance of the “whip and nae-nae,”, trying to make her appeal to the younger demographic. With the backing of celebrities and the appearance on such shows, she attempted to gain as much as support as she could.

Additionally, I have learned in a course I am currently taking at UC Berkeley, that is based on the Effects of Mass Media, how the media has an “agenda-setting” function. This agenda-setting function of the media is the idea that in choosing and displaying news, editors, newsroom staff, and broadcasters play an important part in shaping political reality. The audience with this “learns through emphasis placed on the campaign issues by the mass media” (McCombs and Shaw, “The Agenda-Setting Function of Mass Media”). With candidates increasingly going before the people through the mass media rather than in person, individuals becoming increasingly influenced by what they see on media platforms. 

Over the years, countless celebrities have used their fame and status to bring attention to contemporary political issues. With this, having celebrity endorsements can both help and hurt the candidates. The same can be said about celebrities who endorse certain candidates. Under certain circumstances, influential celebrities are able to influence public opinion by making selective endorsements for elective offices, and some celebrities have been able to leverage their fame and popularity to bring awareness to controversial foreign affairs.

Sources: Park, Sungjin, Jihye Lee, Seungjin Ryu, and Kyu S. Hahn. “The Network of Celebrity Politics: Political Implications of Celebrity Following on Twitter.” The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 659, no. 1 (May 1, 2015): 246–58. McCombs, Maxwell. Shaw, Donald. “The Agenda-Setting Function of Mass Media”. Oxford University Press. The Public Opinion Quarterly, Vol. 36, No. 2 (Summer, 1972), pp. 176-187

Images:

https://www.prmoment.com/category/pr-insight/the-impact-of-celebrity-culture-on-public-relations

http://time.com/4026114/hillary-clinton-amy-schumer-dance-ellen-degeneres/

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Memes: From Online to the Streets

In today’s society, the internet and social media is intermingling with the political world more than ever. Protests are being planned on social media platforms, users are making their voice heard, and memes are being created to support their movements. These memes are being created by users that self-replicates and spread among the people. With this, Internet memes spread via the internet and go viral. These memes tend to represent some cultural or social idea, and are becoming increasingly used in politics. These memes tend to public ridicule certain issues. The world of memes is noteworthy, since they behave like a mass of infectious flu and cold viruses, traveling from person to person quickly through social media.

In “When Internet Memes Infiltrate the Physical World”, An Xiao Mina demonstrates how the various memes present today are central to how people engage with political issues. As hundreds of people brought along memes appearing on signs, pins, and other physical media, they voiced their opinion through these symbols. These objects allow or the protests to unite around the country and globally, in that “Objects are worn or brought to events, and when people take pictures of them, they circulate back on the internet, thus continuing the meme’s lifecycle online and offline” (Mina). Many times, these memes are created through hashtags, which are spread vastly through social media and then printed on signs, shirts, and many other objects.  These memes and hashtags allow for ideas to spread on the internet, become well known, and then spread on the streets. Then, as people are photographed with these meme items, they spread back onto the internet and gain further widespread attention.

Many memes are created for certain issues going on in society, such as the image from a Labor Rights Movement. The use of memes from the internet is becoming more and more present at protests and movements, connecting individuals in society. 

Since so many people have access to the internet, these physical and virtual memes create communities and foster new relationships. These memes allow for new conversations online and with this, the possible creation of offline movements. As seen through various movements that started online, such as the #BlackLivesMatter movement, it is possible to start movements from the internet and bring them to the streets. People’s ability to share, remix and transform memes into action reflects their ability to participate in the process of action on and off the web. As new memes are beginning to emerge online, being spread offline on hats, T-shirts and tote bags, and then being brought to the streets.

These Memes can be created by anyone, for pretty much anything. I follow a Facebook group, called UC Berkeley Memes For Edgy Teens, which publishes students creations related to the campus. The content that is created is centered usually around events and situations happening on and around campus. With the protests going on on campus for in recent times, as well as the canceled “Free Speech Week”, many Memes have been created and published around these themes. Especially due to violence that has been created around campus, Berkeley and its Campus have received a lot of attention online. This has led to various memes created around the protests and riots that have received national attention. The following meme was created based on the violent-turned riots from the 2017 Milo Yiannopoulos UC Berkeley Protest.

The creation of memes on the Internet is bringing awareness to societal issues and with this connection individuals to a community against a common cause. With this, the internet is playing an important role in creating social change and will in the future as well. 

Sources: Mina, An Xiao. “When Internet Memes Infiltrate the Physical World.” The Atlantic. May 4, 2017. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/05/when-internet-memes-infiltrate-the-physical-world/523887/

Images:

http://1mut.com/memes-in-protests

http://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1218253-2017-milo-yiannopoulos-uc-berkeley-protest

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This picture has become all to common for every UC Berkeley Student attempting to get to their classroom simply to go to lecture. For the past weeks, and especially this week due to this week being declared “Free Speech Week“, hundreds of police officers have been building barriers around campus for the sake of safety. According to the New York Times, which is where this pictures is from as well, the administration has spent $1 million dollars for these chaotic weeks for security at campus protests. The school has been solidiering up for the unexpected violent rallies on Sproul Plaza and will continue this process until safety is insured. This provides a huge distraction for the university which is struggling with a budget debt of $150 million. Also, Students are simply attempting to attend their classes, which are being canceled, and with this interrupting their learning environment. Ultimately, these situations are costing the university huge sums of money as well as scanting students scandalized value. #UCBerkeley #Freespeechweek #Cal #onCampus #Milo #NYTimes #Shapiro #Protests #Sproulplaza #Berkeley

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Years ago, students gathered outside of Sproul Hall on the University of California Berkeley Campus to fight for their right of free speech. Today, after a week of protests and debate, the 'Free Speech Week' on Campus has been canceled. Since the controversial appearance of writer Milo Yiannopoulos had been shut down by violent protests in February, the school has faced continuing fights over free speech, hate speech, politics and political correctness, and the surrounding community had bloody clashes between extremists on the far left and the far right. Yiannopouls planned to exercise his constitutional right to free expression Sunday at Sproul Plaza on campus, the site of the historic Free Speech Movement protests of the 1960s that made UC Berkeley a symbol of First Amendment rights. That iconic setting, and the school's reputation as a politically liberal campus, have made it a magnet for controversial speakers this year. However, the events have been canceled due to safety issues on campus. #ucberkeley #freespeech #freespeechweek #freedomofspeech #berkeley #cal (at University of California, Berkeley)

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Virtual Organization of Labor

In today’s society, social media is ever present in all parts of life. Social media is a way for people to be heard and to voice their concerns, and this does not exclude the working environment. Social media and the internet have allowed for the creation of virtual labor organizations to emerge. With this, technology has the ability to bring together communities that will change the landscape for workers. Many employees are dissatisfied with their working conditions, such as their pay, their benefits, but also nonmonetary things, such as their work schedules and safety in their workplace. With thus, many employees would most likely join a union, that is if the signup process were easy for workers to do as well as harder for employers to stop. Joining a union at work can be a hard choice for workers, and this is where virtual labor organizations could create change. In a 2007 study found that nearly 60 percent of workers would join a union if they could; yet, that same year, only 12 percent of workers were members of a union (americanprogressaction.org). With so many online tools available employees can now start a campaign to join a union at their workplace. One great such example us coworker.org, in which workers can voice their complaint about certain policies within their working environment on the online platform. The emergence of numerous worker campaigns shows the success and need of such a platform for society to spread its concerns. Since any individual can voice their opinion and start a petition through engaging colleagues, this creates a community effort. Instead of having to lobby unions into the streets, one can simply create an online organization of labor. Once the word gets out into the media, and many people start paying attention the issues organizations quickly respond. As the cofounder Michelle Miller of coworker.org states “online petitions bring together people from different companies and locations, so they can learn from and inspire one another”(fastcompany.com). These online portals foster a sense of community among individuals to challenge their treatment in their workplace. Along with this, these platforms could give employees surprising new leverage at work, once the company understands that dissatisfied employees have an easier, less-obstructed way to join a union. The easy access and creation of unions through virtual organizing provide workers the ability to stand up for themselves and others in a simple but effective way.

“Where There Aren’t Unions, Can Online Platforms Organize Workers?” Co.Exist, July 6, 2015.

Images:

https://mronline.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/15-an-hour-plus-union.jpg

http://www.aprilsmith.org/uploads/6/8/3/4/6834889/5248191_orig.jpg

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UC Berkeley is world renown for its call for free speech. With this statement, the inclusion of all free speech, even opposing views must be included. This week there will are a series of events scheduled to take place that counter the principles of community that the university abides by. UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ addressed this issue in a message sent out to the campus community, in which she expresses her expresses her deep regret these disrupting events are causing for many members of the campus community. With past events having caused immense disruptions around campus, the events in the upcoming week are not to be viewed lightly. We will see in the following days how this situation will progress and how the campus will deal with its principles of free speech. #freespeech #freespeechweek #freespeechmovement #ucberkeley #berkeley Photograph of Mario Savio and FSM participants (at UC Berkeley)

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“No one “owns” a free software project, though individuals own—in a formal sense—the software they contribute”(Benkler 396). This idea is far away from the usual model of production, that of hierarchy and a designated leader. This model, known as the Commons-based peer production, is organized without any hierarchy in place and rather focuses on the communal collaboration among individuals. Large numbers of people choose to work cooperatively under this new model of production without any financial compensation for contributions. These platforms demonstrate how the use of digital networks is of tremendous importance for the production of information. It also shows the interest of individuals to create and have access to valuable content. This model works through the idea of self-serving participation, in that people motivate themselves to create content that matters to them. Individuals are with this able to self-assign tasks that suit their personal skills and interest to produce and contribute content.

This semester I am taking a class at UC Berkeley called UGBA 192AC class. One of the assignments throughout the semester is the task to learn how to use the platform Wikipedia. Together as a class, we learn how to contribute to Wikipedia, while interacting with others, and also revising and editing each other’s work. This is a prime example of such a large-scale collaboration, in that Wikipedia users volunteer to collaborate and write a communal encyclopedia.  Wikipedia introduces itself as being “a free online encyclopedia, created and edited by volunteers around the world”. Anyone with Internet access can write and make changes to Wikipedia articles, making it a collaborative effort. Under Wikipedia, individuals edit each other's articles. evaluate the quality, and work with each other to create interesting and valuable content. Ultimately, “What Wikipedia provides, then, is a rich example of a medium-sized collection of individuals, who collaborate to produce an information product of mid-brow quality and who are reasonably successful”(Benkler 397). The software allows for multiple users to edit a single document while tracking changes, which makes the editing process interactive. Each article and each user of the Wikipedia platform has an associated "Talk" page. These form the primary communication channel for editors to discuss, coordinate and debate.

Instead of creating a serious of opinion pieces, Wikipedia users create particles of social cooperation. These platforms create great variability of human and information resources. Due to its openness, these platforms allow for anyone to create articles, and edited by any reader. The coordinated contribution by various volunteers to create a combined work shows how individuals can use their own work and potential to create influential work.

Work Cited:

Benkler, Yochai, and Helen Nissenbaum. “Commons-Based Peer Production and Virtue.” Journal of Political Philosophy 14, no. 4 (December 1, 2006): 394–419.

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How the Black Lives Matter went from Social Networks to the Streets

After centuries of Black lives being systematically and intentionally targeted for demise, a world wide spark finally brought an intervention into this social issue. The Black Lives Matter Movement that was created from a shooting death of an unarmed black teen sparked a change of attitudes in the world. This moment grew so popular largely due to the spread on social media the hashtag BlackLivesMatter turning it into what New York Times magazine called “the 21st Century's first civil rights movement”. This hashtag became a viral phenomenon tied to police brutality and racial issues in the United States. The use of social media created with this an immense social movement, which was eventually taken from an online platform into the streets. As Janell Ross states “Once galvanized by a slogan that happened to fit well within the confines of Twitter, people took to the streets in New York, in Ferguson, Mo., in Cleveland, in North Charleston, S.C.”.  The movement that went from a hashtag to the streets demonstrates how the use of media can create change and awareness. 

With this movements, action began to take place. Alicia Garza stated how the growth of this movement has “connected people across the country working to end the various forms of injustice impacting [black] people” and “created space for the celebration and humanization of Black lives”. The internet ultimately allows ordinary citizens to tell their stories and with this has given people a voice. With this, the internet and social media is able to turn relatively unknown citizens into public figures. Social media can with this help people who feel a sense of injustice to feel like they are not alone, and act upon this. With this common thread of thought, people begin to organize and protest, online as well as offline. In October of last year, I was able to witness a ‘Black Out’ demonstration on the UC Berkeley Campus. In this demonstration, UC Berkeley Law Students held a demonstration to stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement to raise awareness for communities of color. 

Also, the national struggle of Black Lives Matter transformed the nature of social movements by bringing awareness not only to the black community, but to any other community struggling to gain equal rights. This particular movement has contributed to the struggle f human rights in general, in that the “Black lives as an opportunity to connect struggles across race, class, gender, nationality, sexuality and disability”. The intersection of technology and racial justice has become an increasingly relevant way for people to organize and voice their concerns.

Works Cited:

“A Herstory of the #BlackLivesMatter Movement by Alicia Garza.” The Feminist Wire, October 7, 2014. 

Ross, Janell. “How Black Lives Matter Moved from a Hashtag to a Real Political Force.” The Washington Post, August 19, 2015. 

Image:

http://www.dailycal.org/2015/04/18/black-student-union-members-block-sather-gate-on-cal-day-morning/

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Day Trip to YBCA’s Talking to Power by Tania Bruguera

This week, I was fortunate to visit the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in Downtown San Francisco. The art institution has at its heart the use art as an instrument for social change. Currently, this is presented in the exhibition of the long-term work of political artist Tania Bruguera. The exhibition, titled Talking to Power, contained various artwork by Bruguera presenting her activism and usage of art to address power structures and political issues.

In total, the art gallery presented six of Bruguera’s artworks in all different styles. One of the projects that stood out to me, was the Immigrant Movement International, which was a grand interactive display. The room was dominated by gigantic recitations, in English and Spanish, of the 10 principles of Immigrant Movement International. There are banners with phrases such as “Immigrant rights are citizen rights”, and, “The right to be included belongs to everyone”, showing her passion for immigrant inclusion.

 She uses her art to show how immigrants are citizens just like everybody else. I think that with the presidency of Donald Trump it makes this gallery a very relevant issue. Donald Trump has generated much publicity on his proposed reforms and remarks about the issue of immigration in the United States in the past year. The growing concerns about the political representation and conditions facing immigrants make this exhibition very relatable. She focuses on the state of immigration in the United States and throughout the world today, in an effort to see immigrants as citizens with their full political rights.

Right next door there is a polling area, called the Referendum, which asks audiences the question, “Borders kill, should we abolish Borders?”, on a voting ballot with the options of “Yes” or “No”. 

The responses to this question are tallied and presented on a screen. This polling booth makes the exhibit very interactive and really made me think about how life would be without the existence of borders. Especially due to the European refugee crisis as well as Donald Trump’s plan to build a wall between the United States and Mexico this question is a very relevant question to ponder. Donald Trump also focuses his immigration reform on the principle that a nation without borders is not a nation, and with this has brought the idea of a wall between the United States and Mexico into question, which would lead to even stronger borders than are present currently. Bruguera challenges his thinking and with this, her art presents a form of political activism.

The large and open gallery presented further displays, such as full-scale stages, video cameras and standing rooms for audiences. For example, the staging of Tatlin’s Whisper #6, 2009,  presented a piece calling for audience activation by presenting an open mic that offered a platform for Cuban citizens to talk freely. 

These make it seem very authentic and immerse the viewer into what was going on. Instead of simply presenting historical artifacts, I was able to interact with the art and immerse myself into her work.

Her work demonstrated to me how art can be used as a way for social and political action. She creates awareness for the inclusion of immigrants through her use of various displays in the gallery. With this, she can be viewed as a political artist who uses her projects to create awareness and social engagement. Overall, the YBCA creates awareness of culture through their art and with this a catalyst for change to spur and support social movements. With this, the YBCA demonstrated to me how an art institution can play a big roll in the community it serves.

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts https://ybca.org/visit-ybca