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Social media and cyberactivism

My research is focused on the Women’s March on Washington early in 2017. More specifically the ways in which social media interacted with political and social activism to make the event such a global hit.

Cyberactivism is a term used by Frank G.A. de Bakker in his article “ONline Activism and Institutional Change”. Cyberactivism is also known as internet activism, social media activism, e-activism and more. Essentially what these terms mean is the use of electronic platforms (social media, podcasts, e-mail etc) to enable faster and more effective communication between people in order to deliver particular information to a large but specific audience.

However, it is known that when controversial opinions are made today in the vast public sphere that is the internet, they can be fertile ground for irrational online debates and often fuel hate speech of racist, sexist and xenophobic undertones. 

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Pros of “cyberactivism” and Women’s March mobilization

Unlike much of the online political rhetoric seen on social media today, the Women’s March finally demonstrates how social media can be used for the greater good in creating a platform for social justice and revolution, that transcends beyond a one time event into what could be a carried on and timeless movement.

Some pros of the use of social media in the Women’s March…

- Able to reach a diverse and wide range of participants

- Made is easy for large scale organization (Facebook groups made across the US and internationally)

- Created space for members to voice their opinions on equal ground, non hierarchical and with horizontal decision making processes.

- Time efficient and cost effective

According to Bakker (2015) social media platforms present an opportunity for people to bypass mainstream media’s commercially bias tendencies.

This means that the internet provides space for expensive mediation opportunities to inform independent ideas, debate internally and connect directly with those interested in a specific cause in a cost-efficient, fast, widespread and overall efficient way

Essentially one of the only non-hierarchical platforms we have today.

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Use of Facebook in at-home and global organization

The idea womens’s march was orginally created by reitred attourney Teresa Shook of Hawaii. 

Shook organized the orginal event in the form of a facebook group with approximately 40 members on the night on the 2016 presidential election in the United States. By the following day there were over 10,000 American members who had RSVP’ed wanting to attend the protest for womens rights and equality for marginalized people.

Because of the growing scale of the members on facebook, and issues of dominating white female presence, the organizing was delegated to four veteran political activists and leading intersectional feminists;Tamika Mallory, Linda Sarsour, Carmen Perez and Bob Bland.

In the end there were individual Women’s March chapters in each state organized for the weekend of January 21-22 of 2017

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500,000 people attended the Women’s March on Washington on January 21st, 2017

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International Mobilization

Through social media once again, unique and grassroots versions of the Women’s March were formed worldwide.

Huck magazine wrote that the Women’s march on Washington in 2017 was the largest internationally organized protest in history.

Some of the international organization was done by American expats (Kenya), but Facebook remained the crucial form of organizing for the movement.

And even if people could not show up to rallies/marches themselves they would check into locations to add to the numbers and show support

This phenomenon of “checking-in” was also widespread during the standing rock occupation.

There were approximately 600 locations worldwide and over 5 million people in participation.

March in Melbourne, Australia

March in Nairobi, Kenya

March in Mexcio City, Mexico

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The Canadian Context

Across Canada Women’s Marches took place. Toronto most notable in size, however marches were organized in Vancouver, Edmonton, Halifax, St. Johns and others.

Many of the Facebook pages for these marches were smaller on RSVP’s and much larger in actual turn out (following the same outcome as the flagship Washington march). According to Toronto Facebook page at the time there were 6,000 members, and at the protest there were 60,000 in attendance. Similarly in  Ottawa initially there were hopes of having 500 people to turn up and on the day there were 6,000 to 8,000 people. Montreal had a pproximatley 5,000 protester turn out. And smaller turn outs in the maritimes, including Halifax with 1,000 and a rally in St. Johns that was snowed out and had to be moved inside a community centre. More western province like Edmonton had around 2,000 participants in the demonstration. 

The Canadian coverage of the event was largely based around the narrative of “sisterhood” and “solidarity” – these statements are true however it is important to notw the marches brought out many men as well.

Ottawa, Ontario

Montreal, Quebec

Toronto, Ontario

Halifax, Nova Scotia

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A few critiques...

Filter bubbles/misguided organization

Issues of non-intersectional feminism and white feminist tendencies were present in the beginning. Leadership was intentionally handed over to intersectional representations of women (Sarsour, Mallory, Perez)

-The New Yorker

This issue arose early in the creation of the protest. The initial Facebook group had a clear majority of white women making decisions that were not intersectional. Tamika Mallory, Carmen Perez and Linda Sarsour were chosen as “dynamic and powerful leaders”, not to be taken as tokens for a diversity quota. However, in the organizing of the Women’s March it is easy to see how filter bubbles on Facebook may have lead to a white women base. This is because Teresa Shook is a white woman and her Facebook page may have been filtered with people and content directed to her. 

Lack of focus on specific issues

“Some have criticised the Women’s March organization as too all encompassing”

- Huck Magazine

This critsism is refering to the idea that although the march was powerful it was not focused and in its aftermath did not create change. Arguably, the march did create change in that it brough to the forefront of American media and raise awareness about the important need to change the way people think about womens right and the rights of marginalized groups. In the end the march was not just about women, it was a movement for intersectional feminism, anti-racism, reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, immigrant rights and more, and perhaps that is where the lack of focus lies. However it would not be the inclusive and revolutionary feminist march that it was if it did not embody those factors, instead it would have been largey white and upper-middle class.

Minimal lawful change

Michael Moore criticized facebook activism by saying in order to make real change marchers must “call the members of Congress everyday” and join organizations like “Planned Parenthood and the ACLU”

-Wired Magazine

Along the lines of lack of focus, Wired Magazines interview with director and writer Michael Moore who was in attendance at the Women’s March on Washington, argued that post-march action is more important than the actual march itself. His suggestions hold merit in that joining threatened organizations is crucial in ensuring they are not attacked by any government regime. As well as the imporance of being vocal in the democratic system of governance that the United States has which allows citizens to be represented in government and call out the issues that conern them. A march is powerful in creating awareness but even more powerful if the number of people involved in the march are as active politically and socially everyday. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Abraham, Amelia. 20 Jan. 2017. “How the Women’s March on Washington went Global”. http://www.huckmagazine.com/perspectives/activism-2/womens-march-washington-went-global/?utm_content=bufferd5eb5&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer Accessed 10 Nov. 2017.

CTV News Ottawa. “Thousands take part in Ottawa Women’s March on Washington” CTV Ottawa. 22 Jan. 2017. http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/thousands-take-part-in-ottawa-women-s-march-on-washington-1.3251978. Accessed 10 Nov. 2017.

d’Entemont, Yvette. “ ‘Stand together:’ Halifax rally to how solidarity with Women’s March on Washington.” 10 Jan 2017. http://www.metronews.ca/news/halifax/2017/01/10/halifax-rally-show-of-solidarity-womens-march-on-washington.html. Accessed 10 Nov. 2017.

Jamieson, Amber. “Women’s March on Washington: a guide to the post-inaugural social justice event.” US politics. 27 Dec. 2016. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/27/womens-march-on-washington-dc-guide. Accessed Nov 10. 2017.

Lapowsky, Issie. “The Women’s March Defines Protest In The Facebook Age.” Business. 21 Jan. 2017. https://www.wired.com/2017/01/womens-march-defines-protest-facebook-age/ Accessed 10 Nov. 2017.

News Staff. “Thousands expected at Toronto march in solidarity with Women’s March on Washington.”  Local. 18 Jan. 2017. http://toronto.citynews.ca/2017/01/18/thousands-expected-toronto-march-solidarity-womens-march-washington/ Accessed 10 Nov. 2017.

Salazar, Maria Alejandra. “Organizers Hope Women’s March On Washington Inspires, Evolves.” Politics, 21 Dec. 2016. https://www.npr.org/2016/12/21/506299560/womens-march-on-washington-aims-to-be-more-than-protest-but-will-it. Accessed 10 Nov. 2017.

Slater, Joanna. “The resistance begins: more than one million join women’s marches worldwide.” 21 Jan. 2017. https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/womens-march-on-washington-goesglobal/article33696482/?ref=http://www.theglobeandmail.com. Accessed 10 Nov. 2017.

Tolentino, Jia. “The Somehow Controversial Women’s March on Washington.” Cultural Comment. 18 Jan. 2017. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/jia-tolentino/the-somehow-controversial-womens-march-on-washington Accessed 10 Nov. 2017. Accessed 10 Nov. 2017.