Category: Activism

Introduction

Social media has developed over the years to present a platform in which interaction has increasingly been made easier. The interaction that arises from the use of social media has made the sharing and access to information easier every waking day (Porter par. 3). A Facebook post shared by one person can quickly go viral, a hash tag on Twitter can push a message far beyond previously imagined, a picture on Instagram can easily rally a reaction from thousands of individuals (Taib 6). This essay aims at discussing the nature of social media, connectivity and access to information that has provided an ideal environment for activism and revolution.

Activism and Revolution

Activism denotes the concept of seeking wide support for a particular cause or view, mostly in the public domain and with a view of promoting public interest. In most cases, it involves seeking to compel the government to take some decisive action that is viewed as being in the interest of the public or an attempt to compel the government to desist from performing an act that is viewed as being against the public interest. A revolution can be viewed as more intense form of activism, trying to change the status quo, either government or system, through a rigorous process, mostly violent (Taib 2).

By the very nature of activism and revolution, therefore, it is important that enough support be rallied for the cause in question. This is because activism and revolutions have the underlying mission of driving a democracy. Democracy as a concept is one that depends largely on the majority rules principle. Without the requisite numbers, an attempt at activism or revolution would undoubtedly fail. This is where social media comes in (Eltantawy and Wiest 1207).

Mechanics of Social Media Activism and Revolution

Social media plays an influential role in enabling activism and driving revolution. This is because Cyber activism has witnessed exponential growth due to the fact that it can bring people together for the achievement of a common goal (Porter par. 7). This aspect of social media makes it ideal for the purposes of pushing for activism and revolution.

This is achieved through, first and foremost, the provision of an excellent opportunity for ideas to be expressed. These ideas then morph into movements that result into concrete action. Secondly, it enables like-minded individuals to identify each other and come together for purposes of seeking to achieve a common goal (Eltantawy and Wiest 1027).

This allows them to come together and have the strength in numbers. Finally, social media enables the constant sharing of information, for example, details of meetings and demonstrations that enable activism and revolution to become a reality, moving from the sphere of cyber activism and revolution to an actual, on the ground event. In the movement to protest the Iraq war, for example, the ultimate millions who came together to protest were groups from far and wide on account of the coordination and sharing of information on social media (Eltantawy and Wiest 1208)

Drawback of Social Media as a Tool for Revolution and Activism

While social media has undoubtedly played a huge role in the area of activism and revolution as evidenced by the happenings of the Arab spring, it has one major drawback. This drawback is the fact that many of the people who may claim to be supporting the movement online may not come out to support the movement since it is much easier to click away at ones computer screen (Porter par. 8).

Conclusion

The role of social media in initiating, sustaining and enabling the success of activism activities, as well as revolutionary activities, cannot be understated. This platform has become increasingly influential and should not be ignored. Its role in the Arab spring, especially, should serve as a template for just how influential social media is (Eltantawy and Wiest 1219). Its use should, for this reason, be regulated to ensure that it is used for the public good and not for evil.

Works Cited

Eltantawy, Nahed and Wiest, Julie 2011, Social Media in the Egyptian Revolution: Reconsidering Resource Mobilization Theory. International Journal of Communications 5.

Porter, Nathan. 2013. Social Media Stew Plays Potent Role in Global Digital Activism. The Washington Times. 2013.

Taib, Mohamed 2006, Meaning of Social Activism. The Reading Group.

Introduction

Relationships between individuals have been greatly changed since the introduction of social media. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have made it easy for people to pass information across the globe. Therefore, this has been made possible by considerably reducing the obstacles of communication. By just clicking a button, an individual is able to get information from all parts of the world. People can take part in increasing responsiveness for a particular occurrence by sharing information to their acquaintances on social media. Therefore, information is capable of reaching many people based on how it is represented and the target audience.

How social media controls activism and revolt

Social media has controlled revolt and activism in a number of ways. It has improved the passage of information by improving the rate at which it moves and reducing the obstacle along its path. For instance, people were not only able to share information about tsunami, but also provide their assistance to the affected individuals. Social media has improved communication through word of mouth. Through Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, powerless people have been able to work together, organize, and express their concerns. Gladwell states that With Facebook and Twitter and the like, the traditional relationship between political authority and popular will has been upended, making it easier for the powerless to collaborate, coordinate, and give voice to their concerns.

The protest opposing Moldovas communist government was managed through twitter hence it was nicknamed the Twitter Revolution. Consequently, this clearly explains how social media has greatly influenced activism and revolt. Social media has been used to pass the information on the number of people killed by revolution. Therefore, this information is considered to be valid since it is updated in the real-time context. Social media has also affected activism and revolt by improving the informations emotional impact (Hensley). Due to the psychological impact, individuals will be ready to participate in activism and revolt events across the world. Through Facebook, Twitter and other social networks, journalists obtain relevant information on revolt activities hence they do not have to be present at the scenes. For instance, Gladwell stated that Western journalists who could not reach or did not bother reaching people on the ground in Iran simply scrolled through the English-language tweets post with tag #iranelection.

The current Arab spring has been greatly influenced by Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube in several ways. Moreover, there are a number of debates on how social media has contributed to the current Arab spring. Arguably, many people believe that they were the tools used to initiate revolutions experienced in Tunisia and Egypt, considering the increase in the number of Facebook and Twitter users. Therefore, the uprisings were nicknamed twitter or Facebook revolutions. Emiroglu states that The Facebook site continues to grow in popularity in the region. Facebook users jumped from19 million at the end of 2010 to 43 million today. Arabic is the fastest growing language on Facebook. Egypt is the single largest source of subscribers, with nearly 11 million.

Conclusion

Conclusively, individuals can share their enthusiasm and awareness to take part in activism and revolt for their common benefit. Social media has played a great role in the current Arab spring. For instance, most of the communications were done through Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Arguably, journalists can provide relevant information without having to be present at the scene.

Works Cited

Emiroglu, Sema. The role of social media in Arab spring. 2012. Web.

Gladwell, Malcolm. Small change: why the revolution will not be tweeted. 2010. Web.

Hensley, Molly. A different kind of activism. 2010. Web.

Introduction

The so-called Arab Spring has shown that people are ready to struggle for their rights and seek for a better life without resorting to violence. For instance, people in the Arab region found ways to organize a variety of demonstrations and other gatherings to make a difference.

Notably, there are different views on the role social media played in the revolutions. Some even claim that social media played a crucial role in the uprising (Khamis et al. 8). However, some state that the role of social media has been overestimated (Beaumont n.p.). Thus, it is important to understand to which extent social media influenced the development of social movements in the world to understand possible implications of media in different regions.

How Exactly Were Social Media Used?

In the first place, it is necessary to note that development of technology has made the world smaller. The concepts of time and distance have been reconsidered. Social media have become a potent means to share views and tell stories. Thus, the Internet penetration rate in Egypt reached 24.3 percent in 2009& [a]fter the 2011 revolution, the number of Facebook users jumped to over seven million (Khamis et al. 1).

People wanted to share their experiences. They wanted to make people see what was really happening in the countries and in their cities. At the same time, social media were used to launch various meetings (Khamis et al. 1). Therefore, it is possible to note that social media did play certain role during the Arab Spring.

Were Social Media That Influential?

At the same time, it is hardly possible to claim that social media has started playing crucial role in social movements or played crucial role during the Arab Spring. For instance, in many countries (e.g. Moldova and Romania) quite a few people have access to social media (Gladwell n.p.). Thus, it is highly unlikely that the protests which took place in Moldova in 2009 were closely connected with cyber activism in the country.

Social networks did not play significant role in coordinating protests or other activities in Arab region. It is noted that the online discourse was mainly in English and it would be strange if people trying to coordinate protests in Iran would be writing in any language other than Farsi (Gladwell n.p.). Thus, even such a simple example shows that social media were not used as a means of coordination or inspiration for protesters.

Social Media Were Used to Make People Know

Social media played most significant role in raising awareness; sharing stories and making people know what exactly was happening. One of protesters in Tunis claimed that they put everything on Facebook. He added, Its how we tell the world whats happening (qtd. in Beaumont n.p.).

Social media became the source of knowledge mainly for those who lived outside the countries where revolutions were taking place. Admittedly, the majority of online resources were censored by those in power and social networks became almost the only way to send messages to the rest of the world. This was the major role played by social media.

Conclusion

On balance, it is possible to note that social media are playing a significant role in social activism at present. However, it is still impossible to claim that this role is crucial. Social networks help people share their stories and make others know what is really happening.

Works Cited

Beaumont, Peter. The Truth about Twitter, Facebook and the Uprisings in the Arab World. The Guardian. 2011.

Gladwell, Malcolm. Small Change. The New Yorker. 2010.

Khamis, Sahar, Paul B. Gold and Katherine Vaughn. Beyond Egypts Facebook Revolution and Syrias YouTube Uprising: Comparing Political Contexts, Actors and Communication Strategies. Arab Media & Society 15. (2012)

Introduction

The recent technological advancement has made communication a lot easier. More than 50% of the world population are now using cell phones and other wireless devices to transmit voice and text messages across the globe (Howard 6). According to Howard (7), social media makes it possible to transmit information targeting a large audience that is spread over a large geographical area. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have substantially altered the way individuals relate to each other. It has broken communication barriers and allowed the sharing of information on an unprecedented scale (Howard 8). This paper analyses the role of social media in the recent uprisings across the Arab world. It aims at establishing that social media played a central role in the success of these uprisings.

Role of Social Media

Social media can only influence a revolution if it has the right membership at the time of the revolution. For instance, the 2010 Tunisian revolution that led to the ousting of President Ben Ali is believed to have been greatly influenced by social media (Madeline 5). According to statistics, 94% of Tunisians rely on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other online blogs for news (Madeline 5). Madeline (5) notes that the state-sponsored mass media only receives attention from less than 40% of the population. As Madeline observes, just before the commencement and during the early stages of the revolution, Tunisia experienced an unprecedented 70% increase in Facebook and Twitter enrolment (5). More than 90% of the tweets generated talked about the activities of the revolution (Madeline 5). This made it hard for the government to control the protestors activities.

Apart from Tunisia, Egypt experienced two revolutions within two years (Madeline 5). The first revolution led to the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak in 2011 and the second one culminated in the overthrowing of the democratically elected Mohamed Morsi in 2013 (Madeline 6 & Wahid 1). According to Madeline (5), 88% of Egyptians receive news through social media and only 36% of the population give some attention to the state-sponsored media. In 2011, Facebook and Twitter enrolment in Egypt was 6,586,260 and 131,204 people respectively (Madeline 13). Madeline claims that more than 40% of them are young people aged between 18 and 24 years (6). The situation was the same in Libya which had a high membership on Facebook and Twitter at the time of the 2011 revolution that culminated in the killing of President Muammar Qadaffi (Madeline 12). Too much reliance on social media for information leaves authorities with little control on the amount and content of information that moves around. Under such circumstances, an uprising can be very successful.

Its worth noting that social media only enhanced the activities of the uprisings as opposed to initiating them. Apart from helping in coordinating protest activities, constant tweeting, and updating of messages that immediately went viral boosted the protestors morale by assuring them that they had the support of fellow citizens (Masoud 17). Uploading of offensive images showing government officials unleashing terror on protestors attracted more people to join in the fight. While the police were busy firing bullets, protestors were busy firing tweets. This led to over-stretching of security machinery which were eventually overwhelmed.

Conclusion

Social media has played a central role in both legitimate and illegitimate uprisings. The ability to transmit information that reaches a broad audience facilitates smooth mobilization and coordination of protest activities. Too much reliance on social media, as opposed to state-sponsored media, denies the authorities control on information flow. Therefore, social media provides a good platform for opening up of democratic space.

Works Cited

Howard, Phillip. The Digital Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy: Information Technology and Political Islam. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011. Web.

Madeline, Storck. The Role of Social Media in Political Mobilisation: A Case Study of the January 2011 Egyptian Uprising. St. Andrews: University of St. Andrews. 2011. Web.

Masoud, Tarek. The Road to and from Liberation Square. Journal of Democracy. 22 (2011): 20-34. Web.

Wahid, Michael Hanna. Blame Morsi: How to Wreck a Country in 369 Days. New York: Century Foundation, 2013. Web.

Introduction

In the era of information technology, social media has reached a new stage of its development, where the speed of message delivery and the possibility to reach even remote corners of the Earth created a platform for global communication with no limits whatsoever. The fact that major political changes started occurring at a slightly faster pace with the update of social media begs the question whether the latter, in fact, has anything to do with activism and revolution on both local and global scales.

Despite the common misjudgment of the subject matter being the outlet for peoples emotions and, therefore, stifling social activism, social media allows for enhancing peoples investment into the social and political changes by exposing the personal significance of the latter two for an individual.

Social Media as a Platform for Activism

The unifying ability of social media is, perhaps, the hallmark that defines its significance for the encouragement of social and political activism.

A recent study examining the effects of exposing a Twitter user to a certain political or socially dubious issue has shown that a rapid increase in awareness and activism is expected with the promotion of social media: Integrating network and content analyses illustrate the vital role that networks play in studying political communication and interactions, particularly those that take place online (Himelboim, McCreery and Smith 170).

In other words, the availability of the relevant data, as well as the exposure to the entire palette of the existing opinions regarding the subject matter and the opportunity for sharing ones ideas in a conversation increase the possibility of people finding a certain social or political issue relatable and, therefore, deciding to act in order to change the current social or political situation correspondingly.

Social Media as the Battlefield

At the same time, one could argue that the ostensible unification role that social media plays in the lives of people willing to change the political landscape of their country may be viewed as a double-sided sword.

The availability of communication and the lack of any obstacles in conversations between the adepts of a certain social or political change may finally lead to the lack of actual activity and the transfer of the communication process into the realm of the social network. In other words, the significance of participation in online discussions of a certain topic may oust the significance of change and instead raise the sense of shared victimization (Lim 242).

A Tool for Raising Awareness

While admittedly incomparable to the effects of a traditional communiqué, social networking still must be deemed as rather efficient in terms of raising political awareness among people and inviting them to participate in the political life of the state.

Breuer and Farooq study, for example, dismisses the idea of online political participation as feelgood activism that will produce little effect other than increasing the satisfaction of the person engaged in it (Breuer and Farooq 15) by showing that active use of social media and the subsequent social activism were registered among people of all ages when it came to discussing recent political events.

Conclusion

Therefore, it can be assumed that the role of social networks in the political and social activism of citizens is truly immense. The ubiquitous media content created by network users is preeminent in its ability to evoke a social response by outlining the personal relevance of the subject matter for all the people involved in the communication process.

As a result, the role of social media in general and the discussion of the specified media in social networks, in particular, serves as a major boost for the development of activism and the occurrence of revolution on the world stage.

Works Cited

Breuer, Anna and Bilal Farooq. Slactivists or Activists? The Impact of Social Media Use on Individual-Level Political Participation: Evidence from the Brazilian Ficha Limpa Campaign. International Communication Association. Phoenix, AZ: All Academic, Inc. 119. Print.

Himelboim, Itai, Stephen McCreery and Marc Smith. Birds of a Feather Tweet Together: Integrating Network and Content Analyses to Examine Cross-Ideology Exposure on Twitter. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 18.2 (2013), 154174. Print.

Lim, Merlyna. Clicks, Cabs, and Coffee Houses: Social Media and Oppositional Movements in Egypt, 20042011. Journal of Communication 62.2 (2012), 231248. Print.

Introduction

Across the global village, the introduction of communication via the internet has liberated contact and made it efficient and cost-effective. At present, by a click of the button, an individual is in a position to communicate with the entire world. Social media has become very common among activists across the globe. The most common types of social media users among the activists are Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter. Social media has had several impacts on modern activism and political revolutions. This analytical treatise attempts to explicitly review the role of social media on activism and revolution on the world stage.

Development of social media

Reflectively, the source of media reference in this paper is social media use, which has surpassed other means of communication. Scholars in the field of communication media are still fully glued to the well-distributed channel of communication known as the internet to predict and explain the underlying factors that enabled certain cultural influences to be popular. Moreover, social media remains to be the most popular central element of information transference landscape in activism and political change actualization. Its been statistically established that activists spend more time in the internet watching news, blogging, and interacting with their followers on pertinent issues such as poor governance, need for change, and tools for paradigm shift across the globe (Abdelhay 21).

Social media and activism

Social media has made communication to become concentrated and sophisticated as users enjoy access to information in the quickest way possible. Therefore, users of social media have formed internet cultures, which are platforms for sharing information. The information may be in the form of grievances, desired changes, and social issues affecting society. For instance, the Arab Spring, which began in the year 2009, was propelled by social media platforms such as Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter (Chaney 379). Accessibility of the social media prompted opinion shapers in the Arab nations to inspire the need for change, especially among the youths. Social media was used to incite, inspire, and organize the successful political upheavals, which led to a change of political leadership in countries such as Libya, Egypt, and Iraq. Despite the efforts of the current president of Syria to stay in power, social media in the form of Facebook and Twitter has been successful in marshaling support for the rebel leaders in the form of funding, medical supplies, and voluntary fighters (Al-Suwaidi 23).

The internet media plays a significant role in the process of defining and forming social consciousness and its limits towards achieving social change in the modern world characterized by informal interaction. In theoretical conception, functionalism believes that mass media revolution and solidarity as an agent of communication would facilitate the occurrence of revolutionary modes of reception and functioning of different target audiences. Through embracing maintenance strategy topology, it is easier for an internet user to identify the aspects of self-disclosure, positivity, and social networking as the assuring factors that promoted the effectiveness of mass cultural modes used across the generational divides to manage the cross-generational conflict as is the case in Syria and Ukraine. The change has been inspired by authenticity longing that clouds the memory of a person to experience the absolute real from the enclosures of the norms of the society. Therefore, understanding the mass culture is made possible through expressions, illustrations, and even reactions to political and social interests, as was the case during the revolution in Egypt (Mansour 39).

Social media has catalyzed democratic reforms and government changes across the globe. The social media has become a very significant tool for expression of dissatisfaction with any form of poor governance, corruption, and abuse of office. This platform has been used by the global community to demand accountability and good leadership. For instance, activities on social media forced the parliament of the Philippines, Ukraine, and Egypt to impeach their presidents. In the Philippines, the public protest on social media forced congress to reverse its earlier stand that President Joseph Estrada would not be impeached. The Filipinos public outcry on different social media sites and eventual street protests forced the government to present crucial evidence of poor governance against Estrada. The political activists used social media to mobilize the Filipinos to pour into the streets and order for the trial of the president when still in office. Due to fear that the president might centralize power to defeat the legal and parliamentary systems, the activists circulated the message Go to EDSA on social media sites. The message pulled millions of Filipinos into the Manila streets. Owing to fear of losing the support of the public, the congress had to impeach the corrupt president (Abdelhay 21).

Conclusion

Conclusively, the paradigm shift in the internet user mechanism is defined by manipulation and interactivity levels that may emerge as a conservatory of the viewers traditional spectatorship among the activists. Social media has remained very instrumental in fighting poor governance and has catalyzed political revolution and a leadership change in countries such as Egypt, Libya, the Philippines, and Ukraine.

Works Cited

Abdelhay, Nur. The Arab uprising 2011: new media in the hands of a new generation in North Africa. Aslib Proceedings 64.5 (2012): 11-39. Print.

Al-Suwaidi, Jonah. From tribe to facebook: The transformational role of social networks. Abu Dhabi, UAE: The Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research, 2013. Print.

Chaney, Eric. Democratic Change in the Arab World, Past and Present. Harvard Review 23.1 (2012): 363-414. Print.

Mansour, Elton. The role of social networking sites (SNSs) in the January 25th Revolution in Egypt. Library Review 61.2 (2012): 23-67. Print.

Development of social media

Reflectively, the source of media reference in this paper is social media use which has surpassed other means of communication. Scholars in the field of communication media are still fully glued to the well distributed channel of communication known as internet to predict and explain the underlying factors that enabled certain cultural influences to be popular. Moreover, social media remains to be the most popular central element of information transference landscape in activism and political change actualization. Its been statistically established that activists spend more time in the internet watching news, blogging, and interacting with their followers on pertinent issues such as poor governance, need for change, and tools for paradigm shift across the globe (Mansour, 2012).

Social media and activism

Social media has made communication to become concentrated and sophisticated as users enjoy access to information in the quickest way possible. Therefore, users of social media have formed internet cultures which are platforms for sharing information. The information may be in the form of grievances, desired changes, and social issues affecting the society. For instance, the Arab spring which begun in the year 2009 was propelled by social media platforms such as Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter. Basically, accessibility of the social media prompted opinion shapers in the Arab nations to inspire the need for change, especially among the youths. Social media was used to incite, inspire, and organize the successful political upheavals, which led to change of political leadership in countries such as Libya, Egypt, and Iraq. Despite the efforts of the current president of Syria to stay in power, social media in the form of Facebook and Twitter has been successful in marshaling support for the rebel leaders in form of funding, medical supplies, and voluntary fighters (Mansour, 2012).

The internet media plays a significant role in the process of defining and forming social consciousness and its limits towards achieving social change in the modern world characterized by informal interaction. In theoretical conception, functionalism believes that mass media revolution and solidarity as agent of communication would facilitate the occurrence of revolutionary modes of reception and functioning of different target audiences. Through embracing maintenance strategy topology, it is easier for an internet user to identify the aspects of self disclosure, positivity, and social networking as the assuring factors that promoted effectiveness of mass cultural modes used across the generational divides to manage the cross generational conflict as is the case in Syria and Ukraine. Therefore, understanding the mass culture is made possible through expressions, illustrations, and even reactions to political and social interests as was the case during the revolution in Egypt (Mansour, 2012).

Conclusion

Conclusively, the paradigm shift in the internet user mechanism is defined by manipulation and interactivity levels that may emerge as a conservatory of the viewers traditional spectatorship among the activists. Social media has remained very instrumental in fighting poor governance and has catalyzed political revolution and leadership change in countries such as Egypt, Libya, Philippines, and Ukraine.

Reference

Mansour, E. (2012). The role of social networking sites (SNSs) in the January 25th Revolution in Egypt. Library Review, 61(2), 23-67.

Introduction

The significant developments in technology, especially the use of social media has simplified the way like-minded individuals air their grievances and articulate positions on issues of interest. In this modern society, social media is like a traditional community, where aggravated individuals converge in a common place to plan for protests. It is clear that the social media platform has had a significant effect on societies. The current technology has provided an opportunity for the weak and neglected members of the community to have their voices heard. The power of social media platforms is an effective tool in activism and revolutions. It is best illustrated by using the Arab spring and the rape case that occurred in India. News about the Indian rape case was quickly spread, leading to mass protests all over the world. The Arab spring also influenced the toppling of various regimes within the Arab region, starting with Tunisia and Egypt (Kassim par. 3-4).

The effect of social media in the world

Social media sites are not only meant to enable revolutions. They also provide activist organizations with the opportunity to prepare their operations. Through these forms of communication, the organizers are able to minimize their expenditure on certain functions such as recruitment and training among others. However, the inherent strengths and weaknesses associated with social media platforms are based on how political leaders use it. For instance, the Iranian revolution that took place in 2009 was particularly instigated through the Western media. This was accomplished through YouTube and Twitter. The Moldavian revolution that occurred during the same year was also instigated through Twitter. For the success of any revolution, it needs a considerable level of organization, financial support, and mass appeal. Through social media platforms, these requirements can be achieved. At the same time the costs at manageable levels can be maintained.

Social media in activism and revolutions

Activism refers to the radical protests and demonstrations that are pursued, in order to implement, or attain certain goals. However, the social media platforms form the pivot from which activism revolves. Its effects are primarily evident among the youth. Most NGOs and other activist groups act as a foundation for revolutionists. A good example that confirms this is the protest that broke out in Seattle at a summit conference. Many more cases have been witnessed across the globe, especially during the WTO, IMF, WB, and G8/20 summits. This trend has been on the increase during the last decade. They were widely acknowledged due to their massive inclusion and broad networks that enabled the activists to sustain a sequence of mass demonstrations (Higuchi 467). Whenever activists are planning for mass social demonstrations, they are increasingly focusing on the impact that social networks have on individuals. Researchers have shown that revolutionary movements and activism is strengthened and made accessible to a wide population through their network-based organizational approaches. Such links transcend national boundaries due to the enabling characteristics of the internet (Global Activist Networks par.1).

Conclusion

The current challenges such as food security, inflation, and widespread corruption have forced individuals to rally and demonstrate with vigor and zest. The internet has made social media platforms popular. These tools are used to voice grievances and organize mass protests. With their ability to transcend national boundaries, the social media platforms are appropriate in spreading information.

Works Cited

Global Activist Networks. n. d. Web.

Higuchi, Takuro. Global Activist Network involving Asia: global continuation and evolution in Japan. Inter-Asia Cultural Studies 13.3 (2012): 467-475. Print.

Kassim, Saleem. Twitter Revolution: How the Arab Spring Was Helped By Social Media 2012. Web.

Most people today just worry about themselves or if they get paid to do something good, they do not do it out of their hearts. However, there is a small percentage of people that still care about others and society today. These amazing people are known as activists. However, I like to call them heroes. Teen activists are people who believe in themselves to bring a positive change to the world. They are believers, they care, and they are brave. They are the people who would stand up for something they believe in.

For example, one teen activist and also one of the most famous would be Malala Yousafazi. A simple task such as walking to the mosque on the old beaten streets of Mingora, Pakistan she would see innocent girls being beaten, raped, and buckets of acid being thrown into their faces because they wouldn’t cover their face in public as part of the Taliban’s rules. She wanted to go to school but girls were not allowed to go to school because the Taliban thought that girls were only supposed to stay home moms that cook and clean. When she boarded the bus full of boys, someone on the bus shot her in the head. The bus driver quickly called the ambulance and thankfully she survived and is now 22 years old. Because of her courage and bravery, she won the Nobel Peace Prize. But being an activist is not about winning money and being famous it is more about what you did. Animal cruelty is another example of a problem in society and that is also what will be discussed.

Teen Activism

Activism is when a person sees a problem in society and tries to put a change to it. These people are known as activists. There are many problems in society today, but the one I am going to be talking about is known as Animal Cruelty and one of the activists against animal cruelty is Faye Carey.

Faye Carey is an 18-year-old teen activist. She lives in Waikato, New Zealand. She spends every Friday at the animal control, she has rehomed and saved more than 60 dogs. She started these acts of kindness when she felt bad for a puppy at the pound and desperately wanted to give it a home. She has even created her own pet adoption service called Animal Re-Home Waikato.

She has been working since 2013 to make a difference in the world. She was 16 when she created her own Facebook page to help dogs and cats. While most teenage girls are busy doing their nails and putting stickers on the Hydro Flask’s, she does this and she is very passionate about it, “It can be stressful trying to juggle because we have animals at home and schoolwork and chores and everything else. But I think it’s easy for me to do my work because I’m quite dedicated to the puppies and dogs.” she says (Animal Rights,2018)

Dogfighting

Another example of animal cruelty would be Dogfighting. Dogfighting is a type of blood sport in which dogs are forced to fight one another. These dogs are raised on metal chains in isolation. They are also given steroids and drugs to enhance muscle mass and aggressiveness. This dreadful act is a felony in all 50 states, but people organize these terrible events in alleyways and sometimes even in specially made stadiums.

Dogfighting dates back to the 1750s. The Dog of choice in America is the Pit Bull Terrier. These dogs are chosen because they are very loyal and will do anything to please their owners. When the dogs fight both may suffer from injuries such as puncture wounds, lacerations, blood loss, and broken bones. However, it is legal in Japan and parts of Russia. If you hate this monstrous act, just remember that April 8th is National Dog Fighting Awareness Day.

Dogs that fight are easy to recognize because they have cropped ears and their tails are docked close to their bodies. This is done so the other dog cannot grab any loose body parts of their opponents. Owners do this with crude and inhumane techniques. If a dog loses it is either executed, abandoned, or left with injuries untreated. Normally fights do not go to the death but if one of the owners bets and the other one accepts the challenge then the dogs will fight to the death. Illegal gambling is also common at dogfights with bets of thousands of dollars at stake. Bringing someone who is younger than 18 to a dogfight is also a felony in all 50 states. Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was convicted on federal charges related to dogfighting in 2007.

Animal Testing

Animal testing is something companies do when they are making a new product they test these products on animals in specially made laboratories to see if they put the right amount of this chemical or that chemical. Some of the more recognizable brands that use animal testing are Old Spice, Dove, Vaseline, Victorias Secret, Clorox, ChapStick, and Febreze

Animal testing is when a living animal is forced to undergo something that will cause them pain, suffering, distress, or even death. Over 100 million animals are burned, crippled, poisoned, and killed in US labs every year. Some tests may even involve killing pregnant animals and testing their fetuses.

Several cosmetic tests are commonly performed on mice, rats, rabbits, and guinea pigs. These tests include skin and eye irritation tests where chemicals are rubbed or dripped in their eyes without painkillers or any other pain relief. US law allows animals to be burned, shocked, poisoned, isolated, starved, drowned, addicted to drugs, and brain-damaged.

There are many effects. For example, tiny mice may grow tumors as big as their own bodies and kittens may be purposely blinded. While some tests on animals are required by the law, it is not allowed in the European Union, Israel, India, New Zealand, and Norway. Some ways you can help is by asking your school board to stop lessons on animals and to stop allowing science teachers to dissect animals in class. Animal testing may be a very sad thing however it is legal and sometimes the tests have to be done on animals for the product to be sold. Another way you can help is you can stop buying products such as makeup and face wash these are mostly tested on animals because they have chemicals in them. Mostly women’s products are tested on animals. Some products that are tested on animals are Windex, Post-It Notes, Mars Candy, Band-Aids, Kleenex, Iams Pet Food, and Vaseline. (businessinsurance.org. Writer 2019).

Conclusion

There are many problems in society, but personally, I think that Animal Cruelty is one of the saddest things today. The types of Animal Cruelty I have talked about today were Dogfighting and Animal Testing but I will give you one more example. Some countries that are the cruelest would be Netherlands, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Venezuela, Spain, and China.

My last example of animal cruelty would be Animal Neglect this is when a dog, cat, or any animal is not given food or proper shelter. This is a problem because the animal may grow to be very very aggressive. This is also a problem because all living things need food, water, and shelter to survive “California’s main animal cruelty law makes it a crime to mistreat animals in various ways, including: maliciously and intentionally maiming, mutilating, torturing, wounding, or killing an animal, and. not giving an animal proper food, drink, shelter, or protection from the weather.” (www.lawyers.com. Gjelten, 2019). This is a very sad problem in society there may be a lot, but this is one of the saddest in my opinion. Some ways you can help are by going outside and protesting, donating at aspca.org and other anti-animal cruelty organizations. Another way you can help is by telling your science teachers to stop buying animals to dissect in class. You can also help by reporting something if you think something is off. If think you have seen a dog involved in dogfighting just remember that their tails are docked close to their bodies and their ears are cropped they probably will have many scars and cuts too. Animal Cruelty is a big problem in society just remember that you are a hero if you help if we all come together we can take over this sad problem.

Identification of the issue

The youth today use the means of advocating their rights of freedom of speech by actively rioting and professing their position on the issues they are fighting against or siding with. Youth activism usually starts when the major problem of the government affects greatly or even a smidgen connects with any youth, albeit their school, social life, families, etc.

Since the youth had decided to take matters into their own hands, they use movements and organizations that support their stand which would indicate how relevant activism in youth is in this modern age. Activism came from the word “Active” and from the root word “Act”, it is a practice that emphasizes direct vigorous action especially in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue. It is taking part to achieve a goal, whether social or political issues. However, most laymen see activism as being rebellious, going against the government, and being petty. But before, being an activist means that you are admired and highly respected by the mass. The activists are highly influenced by the circumstances before and the issues in society. They were supported in their objectives as to why they protest and become the voice of the people. Students are a powerful group in society. Their desire to take active participation in pressing social, environmental, political and national issues has made its mark. They refuse to be still, and will always have something to say about their future and other generations’ future. Having modern knowledge in today’s generation gave them a boost to further fight for their rights. These gave them the advantage to explore more and become more concerned with what’s happening in the world rather than petty problems. They have developed a keen awareness of the problems faced by the mass in this generation. Instead of being on their cellphones, they fight for what they believe is right; to voice out those being unheard; the responsibility to even better themselves and other Filipinos as well.

Statement of the position

The position that the group has decided on was the undeniable truth that youth activism is relevant in this time of unpredictability and that it will further cause both positively to the ones rebelling the unjust actions of the ones in power and negatively to those receiving the hate in the process of change in the world of politics. In the beginning, mostly the ones on top, specifically the adults leading the country, would exclude children, or rather the youth as a whole, in relation to politics by using excuses such as they are undisciplined, inexperienced, and furthermore emotional. Thus, clearly stating that the younger generation isn’t mature enough to comprehend how politics worked. It may seem that the paper is lopsided to the youth, considering that students are writing this, but history and reliable results showed that youth actively joining rallies and the likes had improved on how the government moved to eradicate situations disadvantageous to them, by compromising with their people.

The youth are actively involved in the injustice that the citizens have been receiving and neglecting to further allocate their time to resolve the issues urged by the people. Youth activists are very vocal and non-manipulative, they are not afraid of voicing out the struggles and problems they see towards the government, and because the government cannot control the mindset of these youth during the Marcos dictatorship he killed numerous people who have the potential to be a public servant because they don’t support his advocacy. And now the National Youth Chairman made a proposal to revoke the scholarships of those students who are anti-government. To stop them from opposing the decisions of the latest president, but the youth activists are unstoppable unless they got the right that they are fighting for. This is one of the main reasons why the numbers of youth activists are getting low because they are receiving different kinds of threats from the government, the students are also doing this for their family if their scholarship will be revoked their families will suffer. Youth activists have a great impact on our society for they are the one who voices out our struggles and problem towards the government but the government keeps on making them shut their mouth and force them to support the government or else they will haunt you. The government is completely aware that not everyone will be in favor of every decision on what they are doing, they should protect the countrymen but end up protecting only themselves, they should let the people voice out and express their freedom of speech because we live in a democratic country, but the problem is only those who are seated are the ones who are being heard. Instead of focusing on violence why not invest in the empowerment and support on the freedom of speech of the youth.

Supporting Evidence or facts

In the news article of Agoncillo (2018) of INQUIRER.NET, she featured five women activists in a procession called, Protesta de Mayo – a political version of the traditional Flores de Mayo, that was held at UP Diliman. The five women activists represented the injustices experienced by women under the Duterte administration by wearing symbolic gowns. The activists decried the hardships and struggles they experience by all political prisoners arrested on trumped-up charges for their activism. One of the activists wore a bloodied Filipiniana gown dotted with a bullet hole near the chest and also wore a yellow sash that says, “police line do not cross.” She said her outfit symbolizes the fight of all victims of extrajudicial killings. The activists also represented the 49 Lumad peasants and Moros killed because of the military operations under martial law. Human rights activist groups Karapatan and Hustisya, also a part of the Babae Ako, Lalaban Ako campaign, organized the Protesta de Mayo.

According to Santos (2017), a reporter from Los Angeles Times, a 13-year-old ninth-grader named Shibby, and other young activists are calling for the end of extrajudicial killings of suspected drug dealers and other aggressive policies by President Duterte. Shibby gave a speech at her school about making a stand against extrajudicial killings, creeping authoritarianism, and emerging dictatorship. After her speech, about 200 students and others marched through the streets to voice out their points. Moreover, in the news article of ABS-CBN news in 2017, a mass organization of Filipino youth and students called on President Duterte to resign because of the persistent killings of minors and largely poor suspects in his drug war. The leaders of the 400, 000-strong organization chanted, “Itigil na ang pagpatay! Duterte, resign!” at a press conference highlighting cases of the government threatening student activists and their families.

In the article of UP forum on the website of UP Diliman, it says that during martial law, “rebellious” organizations were banned and the student councils, publications, organizations were closed down or tightly watch by the State. Students continued fighting for what they believed in despite the repression they experienced. In 1977, Alpha Phi Omega, a fraternity, also defied the dictatorship and raise political awareness by doing the Oblation Run to promote “Hubad Bayani”, a play that exposed Marcos’ myths and condemned the atrocities committed under the martial law. In 2017, the Alpha Phi Omega staged again the Oblation Run in UP Diliman to call for an end to wars and to extrajudicial killings.

Conclusion

Many observers believe that the younger generation has become disengaged from political participation, reflecting, it is feared, a broader disenchantment and disconnect with representative democracy. Yet many of our traditional indicators, including patterns of voting turnout, church membership, and party activist, present only a partial perspective, and one that may now appear dated, reflecting the civic attachments and channels common during the 1950s but no longer mirroring contemporary politics.

Based on the evidence examined in the study, the report concludes with four main findings:

1. In terms of repertoires, the report confirms that engagement in political action, especially voting turnout and party membership, peaks among the middle-aged generation (those over 30 and under 60 years) as many others report;
2. Yet at the same time, younger people are more likely than their parents and grandparents to engage in political action, contrary to the thesis of youth apathy. A broadly linear pattern is found among successive cohorts in every type of society, suggesting a persistent generational shift, with important implications for representative democracy;
3. In terms of agencies, the report confirms many studies which have observed that the middle-aged also have the highest propensity to belong to traditional voluntary associations, notably political parties and churches;
4. Many previous studies also suggest that the generation gap is reversed with younger people more engaged with new social movements concerned with environmental or humanitarian issues, but the limited evidence presented in this study did not substantiate this proposition.

Therefore the comparison suggests that the political energies among the younger generation in postindustrial societies have diversified and flowed through cause-oriented activism, rather than simply ebbed away into apathy. Evidence in this report indicates that multiple contemporary channels of civic engagement, mobilization, and expression have emerged in postindustrial societies to supplement traditional modes.