Can you edit the paper you wrote for me couple of weeks ago

Surname 6

Name

Course

Instructor

Date

Social Media

With the high level of digitization across the world, a new form of activism has been born. Focusing on the use of electronic gadgets, the new communication platforms provide individual from diverse backgrounds with the opportunity to be heard (Al-Deen and Hendricks 4). The openness and specific nature of information enables information to be passed even by those initially considered to be weak. Digital protests have grown enormously over the years. Twitter, a social networking site was responsible for the introduction of the hashtag which indicates trending topics across the globe. Such trending topics can be accessed by all individuals irrespective of their physical locations. Therefore, they are considered important since they close the gaps in borders and facilitate effective communication (Al-Deen and Hendricks 4).

Racial politics within the United States has raised a lot of concern from various avenues across the nation. The occurrence at Ferguson further cemented the growing influence of social media in educating and mobilizing individuals for a good course. The turn of the century has witnessed an increase in various forms of police brutality (Al-Deen and Hendricks 8). Many cases go unchallenged, and this seems to have encouraged the perpetrators to further their actions despite the fact that they go against the constitution and laws of the land. However, through the use of the hashtags, various issues are raised through the social media platforms. They provide an opportunity for the documentation of police brutality as well as all forms of interpretation of racialized bodies; a universal norm within the mainstream media. The article discusses ways through which the social media has been used to facilitate the communication of various agenda that is avoided by the various media outlets as a result of the sensitivities (Bonilla & Rosa 4).

When the shooting at Ferguson occurred, the social media kept the world abreast of the action. There were a lot of gaps in the information of the relevant information by the mainstream media. However, for the social media platforms, there were no barriers to the nature of the information that could be provided on various platforms and as such, individuals were able to share all forms of information considered to be relevant to the unfolding events in Ferguson. The name appeared more than eight million times on the Twitter platform. This was an indication of how the social networking platforms were reaching a wider audience within a limited period (Bonilla & Rosa 12).

The increased communication through video technology has also facilitated digital activism. Reports indicate that more than 56% of the entire United States population possess smartphones that have video capabilities and as such are in a position to enable the transfer of information from one source to the other. The use of mobile phones is high among the African Americans. Most cases of police brutality and racism usually target the African Americans and as such, the occurrences at Ferguson encouraged them to come out in droves and show displeasure with the prevailing conditions. Equality was deemed to have faded in regards to how the African Americans are treated in the United States. As such, it was important to share their plight with other members across the globe using the fastest means of communication at their disposal. This period also highlighted the form of double standards employed by the mainstream media whereby some information was missing or had been restructured to point the blame towards a specific group within the population (Bonilla & Rosa 12).

The authors use various literary examples to highlight the massive changes that have been witnessed as a result of the utilization of the technologically advanced technologies as well as the inception of social media platforms whereby individuals can share their problems with the rest of the world. The social media platforms such as Twitter were also able to bring like minded individuals with the primary reason for ensuring that their plights were highlighted through the right communication channels (Bonilla & Rosa 7).

The hashtag concept uses the semiotic and simultaneous functions by ensuring that information reaches the intended target within the shortest time possible. Additionally, an event occurring can be live twitted and attract a major portion of the internet traffic (Vladlena and Morgann 23). It provides emergent information and eliminates all forms of ignorance that relate to the occurring event. In this case, the hashtag concept was able to recontextualize the situation at Ferguson as well as other parts of the world such as Palestine, Egypt, and Turkey. It was also credited with offering critique to the unfolding events as most individuals voiced their opinions concerning the actions committed and various forms of discrimination about the police treatment of different classes of persons in the United States. Through the hashtag platform, some individuals have also been able to self-promote themselves beyond the broader commentary.

Since the occurrences at Ferguson were attributed to racial discrimination, it was imperative that Twitter was at the forefront in highlighting the plights of residents of Ferguson and other parts of the globe. This is because the percentage of African Americans who use Twitter is significantly higher than that of the white Americans who use the same platform. The statistics indicate that the percentages are 22% and 16% of the African Americans and the white Americans use of the Twitter networking site respectively. Twitter can be credited with numerous benefits key among them its ability to provide sites that facilitate the construction of the counter-narratives and reimagining group identities (Bonilla & Rosa 5).

It is important to compare the relationship between hashtag activism and real activism. Whereas the former involves the use of social networking sites such as Twitter, the latter included going to the streets and advocating for changes or campaigning for specific rights and liberties that had been curtailed in the society (Vladlena and Morgann 19). Digital communication has become salient to particular groups f the demographic compositions. The hashtag activism has limited reports of police brutality since all forms of confrontation are always minimized by accessing and sharing information through the social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. The real activism population was known for their love for the hoodies. Such were used to cover their facial appearances during the process. It was therefore not surprising that hoodies were associated with criminal activities. Another reason the hoodies were considered as emblematic to a crime was based on the high number of instances they had been found at crime scenes as well as the significant appearances made in drawings as well as surveillance images indicating about petty thefts (Al-Deen and Hendricks 26).

Some authors consider the development of the hashtags as the means through which various forms of discrimination such as racism and police brutality can be combated as paranoia. It is however mostly associated with the African Americans who happen to be the victims of segregation as in the period of so-called colorblindness. Since there has been increasing concern and minimal action from the relevant authorities, the African Americans have found this right platform an important channel through which issues affecting them can be raised. Rather than venture into streets and come to face with the anti-terror police, they view the social networking sites as legal and expansive therefore enabling the achievement of objectives two-fold. It is important to acknowledge the stereotyping that comes with the color of the skin and the special favors accorded to certain individuals based on their skin color and the level of police brutality. Therefore, the social media enables the determination of various solutions to such problems across the globe (Vladlena and Morgann 23).

Since the turn of the century, the number of individuals with access to phones has spiraled over the years, this can be as a result of digitization as well as the cost dynamic nature of mobile phones. Therefore, numerous individuals have access to the internet and the connected world at large. The introduction of the popular networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter have also played a significant role in bringing individuals together. The mobile and smartphones used provide the population with a level of security since it does not involve physical confrontations that may have detrimental effects on the individuals. Through such forums, the relevant information is passed to a large group of persons promptly thereby eliminating all forms of delay t6hat are familiar with the mainstream media. Additionally, the use of hashtags can be used to provide an event as it occurs thereby eliminating all forms of sugar coatings that may be used to provide based information and stereotype against a particular type of community or organization (Bonilla & Rosa 13).

Works Cited

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Benson, Vladlena, and Stephanie J. Morgan. Implications of Social Media Use in Personal and Professional Settings. , 2015. Print.

Bonilla, Y. & Rosa, J. #Ferguson: Digital protest, hashtag ethnography, and the racial politics of social media in the United States. 2014, Print.

Noor, Al-Deen H. S, and John A. Hendricks. Social Media: Usage and Impact. Lanham, Md: Lexington Books, 2012. Print.