SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVISIM (DIGITAL ACTIVISM) – A BOON OR A BANE

Research on digital activism has gained traction in recent years. At the same time, it remains a
diverse and open field that lacks a coherent mode of inquiry. For the better or worse, digital
activism remains a fuzzy term. Digital activism, also known as cyberactivism, is a form of
activism that uses internet and digital media as key platforms for mass mobilization and political
action. Initially, on line activists used the digital platform as a medium
for information distribution, given its potential to attain massive audiences throughout the
borders instantaneously. A more advances venture on virtual activism used the World Wide Web
as a site of protest that mirrors and amplifies off-line demonstrations. Some form of virtual
activism is e-mail and social-media campaigning, virtual sit-ins and “hacktivism.”

Digital activism has proved to be a powerful approach of grassroots political mobilization and
provides new methods to interact protesters. Additionally, on-line activists used the internet as a
medium for records distribution, given its potential to attain massive audiences throughout
borders. In such cases, on-line actions may be crucial in countries wherein public spaces are
tremendously regulated or are under the military regime. In such instances, online approach is
better option that probably physically risking one’s own life in dangerous live actions. Despite
the fact that a great deal of virtual activism falls into the category of electronic civil
disobedience, a few activists ask that such online political gestures constantly represent a
communal interest and not an individual agenda and that their motifs and agents be public
expertise with the intention to dissociate them from acts of cyber terrorism or criminal hacking.

The question that has become a focus of research is whether online activism on its own can lead
to change? To this, the critics may additionally rightly argue that social media and people who
used the strength of such online structures have toppled oppressive and non-democratic regimes
in countries like Egypt. There is little doubt that social media has the potential to create positive
as well as negative awareness in a society; but where would the potential be without people
actually coming out onto the ground and physically changing things with their own hands? Had
social media been the best aspect of change, we might have seen model societies emerging
wherever social media adoption was high. We have an extensive ability to genuinely do
something positive about the myriad of issues plaguing our society. Simply sitting, commenting
or sharing something may offer a temporary burst of pride, however, it can no longer be
sufficient to absolutely change something at the grass-root level.

MISUSE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

The one who writes the most passionate post gets the sympathy. The one whose phone happens
to take the best pictures claims to be the victim. In our eagerness to correct the gender imbalance,
we quickly latch on, name the girl a courageous one, a hero, an inspiration and the police gives
her the award for ‘bravery’.
A wise man once said – ‘with power comes great responsibilities’. But in these modern times,
people don’t really know what their responsibility is. We’d rather settle scores the quick way,
morality be damned. Social media lets our voice get hard. It gives us the chance to ‘go viral’, to
be on news, to be famous and it doesn’t really matter if this results into negative popularity.

On the one hand we have our judicial system which doesn’t inspire a lot of trust in common man.
People get falsely charged and cases drag on for years though still eventually both sides at least
get the chance to get heard. Now compare this to social media justice, where people waste no
time in trying to look at the evidences or listening to both sides before the ‘offender’ starts
getting named and shamed. Of course, any dissenting people are called misogynists and are duly
told to shut up. But there are few instances, where at times the modern feminism is blind to logic.

What’s the way out? Social media provides an easy outlet for aggrieved people but I would now
look at any of the ‘viral’ posts on social media with grave suspicion. Which in itself is quite sad!
A few stale fish mars the entire lake of others. Thus I would end up saying only that life is too
precious to be wasted in front of 13-15 inches closed box of thoughts. The internet screen is only
as important, as it benefits us and is used to direct our energies to actions that actually matter. It
is what we make of the internet today that will determine the kind of world we provide to our
youngsters tomorrow.

Niharika Verma,

LL.M.

Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University,

Lucknow.