Use Of Social Media Platforms

More recently, with the intensification of the internet, we as a society see amplified use of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Social movements have been a realm of discussion throughout both the historical development of sociological theory, and development of the United States as a whole. Social movements are important because they are an act for transformation within areas of both political and social problems. Notable from a popular time in history, individuals may remember the social movement from the time period of Martin Luther King Jr.

He pushed for black rights and he did so without the help of the internet. Today, society may see social movements being preformed solely online.

With help from social media platforms and informational websites, organizations such as PETA and ALS Association may get their voices across to individuals faster and easier than ever. That is an immense change from that of many years ago when internet was not prevalent. That being stated, quite a few pros and cons arise when debating if online social movements are successful in creating change or not within a society.

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Furthermore, it may be said that the advantages of online social movements overshadow the disadvantages. Some advantages of online social movements include; communication regarding information becomes faster, accessing information is easier with the click of a few buttons, hope, raising money, creating revolution and difference whether it be for political, social, educational, or health related goals and finally and most important, aids in constructing social change within a society.

To expand, while thinking about online social movements, hope becomes important because enthusiasm is mainly prevalent in people who appreciate a topic dearly, thus creating change more effectively. “This is why enthusiasm is directly related to another positive emotion: hope. Hope projects behavior into the future. Since a distinctive feature of the human mind is the ability to imagine the future, hope is a fundamental ingredient in supporting goal-seeking action” . Discussing the aspect of raising money, my best friend’s father passed away from the disease ALS. Thankfully with the assistance of social media platforms, they were able to raise much money in hope to find a cure for ALS. Using hope, one can except there to be a change in the future regarding finding a cure so no more people perish from this horrible disease.

According to the ALS Association (2014)., the ALS Ice Bucket challenge raised $115 million in just eight weeks, and most of that money was used to find a cure. It can certainly be said that the pros of online social movements are mainly that of being how fast, easy, and effective they are in creating social change within society. Moreover, although there exists advantages of online social movements, there also includes a few disadvantages. Some of which include; slacktivism, online humor, enabling boycotts, establishing protests, and creating anxiety, fear, and or anger within individuals. The organization PETA is an ethical online social movement that is meant to increase awareness of animal abuse and their rights as living beings.

For some individuals PETA may generate fear, anxiety, and anger because of the way PETA goes about sharing its information. For instance, according to PETA (2019)., gelatin is a protein gathered from skin, tendon, ligaments, and bones from cows and or pigs and gelatin is used is a lot of shampoo, face masks, and foods such as Jell-O. This statement may create negative emotions within people who use these products but did not wish or consent to know its origins and may lead to avoidance. “The overcoming of anxiety in socio-political behavior often results from another negative emotion: anger. Anger increases with the perception f an unjust action and with the identification of the agent responsible for the action”. Anger within individuals can lead to them wanting to create boycotts and protests regarding the matter. Something so positive such as an online social movement with goals just to create change, can lead to disagreements within a society.

One may argue that the cons of online social movement overshadow the pros because of the masses struggling over the topics of the movements. To conclude, online social movements is a fairly new method of social change. As a society, it can be predicted that more and more social movements will be generated online, rather than a march in person. Although online social movements may be faster, easier, and very effective in creating change, they can also result in much panic and anxiety among individuals due to the fact that they may create anger and lead to boycott and protests within society. With the United States ever expanding use of media, online social movements will plan to increase in usage. Although online social movements are considered to be successful and create much change, only time will tell if its related limitations will outweigh its advantages.