How Much is your Smartphone Really Doing for the Black Lives Matter Movement?

Social media has always been a great place to find and spread useful
information on current events, but the recent Black Lives Matter movement
protests have questioned how resourceful technology is to the movement.
Technology has impacted the Black Lives Matter movement positively,
through revolution, and negatively, through the spread of misinformation and
the surveillance of protesters.

Blacklivesmatter.com
 
The recent use of technology brings different consequences to the BLM movement.
Technology has been engraved into every part of our lives. Modern life has adapted to fit the
ever-evolving technology around us. In doing so we’ve learned how to use technology to help and hurt.
Technology has always been a staple principle in dystopian culture. In almost all dystopian books or
films, technology plays a big role in how the antagonist suppresses the people. A prime example would be
the book, “1984” by George Orwell. In the book, technology is used to surveille the people of Oceania.
Big Brother used telescreens, they “received and transmitted simultaneously. Any sound that Winston
made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by it, moreover, so long as he remained
within the field of vision which the metal plaque commanded, he could be seen as well as heard”(5,
Orwell). Telescreens recorded everything anybody could be saying in their home, collecting information.
The Black Lives Matter movement was created in July 2013, after the death of Trayvon Martin, a young
black teen, who was shot and killed by a neighborhood man, who felt Trayvon was acting suspiciously.
The acquittal of the murderer created an uproar of protest and the term “Black Lives Matter” was born.
The movement created local chapters in cities all over America and became an important topic in the
election of 2016, but it wasn't until the murdur of George Floyd and Breyonna Taylor, this March that
reignited the chaotic protest for change and justice. Unfortunately, throughout the movement, the key to
growth has always been to film the heinous act and post it on social media. Although there are strong
opinions on whether or not disturbing videos of black people being killed by the police should be posted
online, it has been found to be the most effective way to get the word out and grab people's attention on
what is happening. Without these videos the Black Lives Matter movement may not have gotten the
following it has today.
 
 
Technology has helped the Black Lives Matter movement expand and create a nationwide revolution.
Oxford Dictionary​ defines “revolution” as “a forcible overthrow of a government or social order, in favor
of a new system.” ​The rise of the BLM has sparked a nationwide discussion on race and policing.
Instagram and Twitter helped ignite the discussion by helping black voices be heard and giving users a
chance to help the movement from their phone. This includes allowing them to spread useful information
about systemic racism and how to actively fight racism everyday, essentially creating a revolution. “​The
NAACP and Black Lives Matter Los Angeles, are seizing on the Instagram shift. They’ve been using
Instagram as a way to mobilize followers into tangible political action — getting them to attend protests,
sign petitions, call their legislators — and to educate them about systemic racism.”(Vox.com). Through
social media, activists and organizations are now able to reach a greater audience and spread awareness.
On Instagram, Black Lives Matter has over 4 million followers, giving them the power to educate
millions of people through each post because of the reach and accessibility Instagram has. These
platforms are crucial to the movement because through other mediums, black voices are often censored,
but through social media, black voices are now being heard and on their own terms.
During the hectic summer 2020 BLM protest, different social media apps like Twitter and Tiktok helped
spread important information on how to safely
protest. There were several posts on how to safely
attend a protest during a pandemic, how to quickly
treat a rubber bullet wound, how to reduce the sting
of pepper spray and tear gas, and much more. The
apps allowed protesters to arrange rallies and donate
to bail funds to help protesters that were arrested.
“TikTok ​users of color and their allies are using the
#blacklivesmatter hashtag on the app for social
advocacy, providing tips on how to protest safely,
sharing educational resources and speaking out on
racial injustice.”(CNN.com) In addition to spreading
awareness, activists can also give their followers the
tools they need to physically help the movement,
whether that be by protesting, signing petitions, or
donating.​ It's important to recognize how much
technology has helped start the revolution, but as easy
as it is to spread helpful information, it's almost easier
to spread fake information. ​@AOC on instagram

Technology, specifically within the

media, hurt the Black Lives Matter
Movement by enabling the spread of
misinformation. Those against the
movement use Twitter and Facebook to
spread fake information about the BLM
and protest details. Such as the spread of
a fake hashtag #DCblackout that claimed
that DC was on fire and had been
completely rundown. The #DCblackout
is a perfect example of how the way
social media apps are designed can be
very harmful. Anyone can come on to
Twitter and say whatever they want and
NPR.com

be believed, and because of how lenient the app regulations are, and false information is able to spread
very quickly. “Many of the accounts promoting the #dcblackout claims had few followers, indicating they
could have been created for the purpose of spreading disinformation”(NPR.com) The level of
accessibility and lack of integrity and security on apps such as Twitter allows for mass amounts of
misinformation to be spread. News is another form of media that helps spread misinformation. News
coverage on the earlier protest showed focused on the rioting and looting, instead of the actual protest.
Making the BLM movement seem like a violent organization. ​Pew Research findings suggest that news
outlets may be giving a distorted picture of how most people are protesting. In their research, they found
that​ ​44% ​of respondents said acts of violence and destruction have gotten too much attention. Conversely,
51% of people say nonviolent protests are getting too little coverage ​(MediaPost.com). The news has a
history of manipulating stories to get higher views, often only focusing on a certain side of an issue. In
this case, during the uprising of the protest in March. Many news stations, even big ones, were solely
focused on the looting and somewhat violent part of the protests. Black Lives Matter protesters have said
time after time they were not affiliated with the rioters yet the news always merged the two. For millions
of people all over the world, this was the only source they were getting their information about protests
from, so naturally this misleading representation of the BLM movement tainted their reputation.
Technology not only affects the movement but also the lives of the protesters themselves.

During the BLM protest, technology was used as a harmful tool by the police to surveille and arrest
protesters The police used videos that were posted online to find and arrest or kidnap protesters.“The
police used distinctive tattoos, matching outfits and physical characteristics to connect some people
shown in the student’s photos to protesters’ social media profiles, they said.” (washingtonpost.com).
During the protest, police were eager to make arrests using “unlawful gathering” as a way to arrest
peaceful protesters and blame them for the looting and any injury police officers received. They used
videos posted online by protesters to identify and arrest them. WCAU reported one case where police had
arrested Rivera, Luke Cossman, 20; Steven Anderson, 20; Francisco Reyes, 23; William Besaw, 21 and
an unnamed teenager. They had gone through Rivera’s instagram account to ID the protesters. “Social
media is also profoundly susceptible to surveillance. We know now that many leaders of Black Lives
Matter have been monitored by federal law enforcement agencies.” (wired.com). It’s always been clear
that when an Instagram or Twitter account is public, no information is your own, once it's put online
anyone can access it and do what they please with the information. Law enforcement using it as a way to
ID people for whatever reason makes using social media riskier than ever. The police, especially in DC,
also use hidden surveillance equipment to track and ID protesters. “Across Washington, D.C, local
government agencies acquire and use sophisticated surveillance technology with no public oversight or
accountability” (ACLU.com). A big problem is raised when government surveillance technology is used
without the consent of the public. DC is notorious for having cameras all over the district that the public is
unaware of. Using the cameras to follow protesters creates an unsafe environment for peaceful protest,
and changes how privacy is viewed.
Despite the fact that more negatives than positives were highlighted in this article, I believe overall
technology has helped social justice movements including BLM more than its harmed. Technology has
always served as a tool to the people, the way we use it will always differ. There will always be people
with malicious intent, who want to stop the process of change and justice, and because of our constitution,
they have the right to do so. Luckily with the same tool, we have the ability to spread correct information
and connect with social justice warriors all over the world. Social change movements have always used
what was available to them to their advantage. During the Civil Rights Movement, leaders would take out
ads in news papers, print flyers, and use the telephone to spread as much info about their message, the
protest time and place, and important news regarding the movement. Similar to the claims made in Joshua
Yaffe’s opinion piece, ​“Is Russian Meddling as Dangerous as We Think?”​ if we spend more time
educating our public, the spread of misinformation would be less effective. Technology is the most
efficient way to do so. The benefits of technology outweigh the possible negatives of those who take
advantage. Technology and social media has created a whole new generation of online activists, helping
fuhrer the goal of the Black Lives Matter Movement.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Works Cited

ACLU. "COMMUNITY OVERSIGHT OF SURVEILLANCE - D.C." ​ACLU.com,​ www.acludc.org/en/

community-oversight-surveillance-dc. Accessed 13 Nov. 2020.

AUSTERMUHLE, MARTIN. "'None of This Is True': Protests Become Fertile Ground for

Online Disinformation." ​npr.com​, 1 June 2020, www.npr.org/2020/06/01/

867137863/

none-of-this-is-true-protests-become-fertile-ground-for-online-disinformation.

Accessed 10 Nov. 2020.

BlackLivesMatter. "BLACK LIVES MATTER." ​Black Lives Matter​,

blacklivesmatter.com/. Accessed 9 Nov. 2020.

Janfaza, Rachel. "TikTok Serves as Hub for #blacklivesmatter Activism."

​CNN.com​, 4 June 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/06/04/politics/

tik-tok-black-lives-matter/index.html. Accessed 7 Nov. 2020.

Orwell, George. ​1984​. 1949.

Oxford English Dictionary.​ Oxford University Press, www.oed.com/. Accessed 3

Nov. 2020.

"Protesting Safely." ​Instagram.com,​ 30 May 2020, www.instagram.com/p/CA0jzCdg_vR/

?utm_source=ig_embed. Accessed 3 Nov. 2020.

Shepherd, Katie. "An Artist Stopped Posting Protest Photos Online to Shield

Activists from Police. Then, He Was Arrested." ​washingtonpost.com​, 3 Aug.

2020, www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/08/03/

philadelphia-arrest-protest-photos/. Accessed 10 Nov. 2020.

Stewart, Emily, and Shirin Ghaffary. "It's Not Just Your Feed. Political Content

Has Taken over Instagram." ​Vox.com​, 24 June 2020, www.vox.com/recode/2020/6/

24/21300631/instagram-black-lives-matter-politics-blackout-tuesday.

Accessed 3 Nov. 2020.

Williams, Rob. "Is The News Media Distorting Coverage of Protests?"

​MediaPost.com​, 15 June 2020, www.mediapost.com/publications/article/

352550/is-the-news-media-distorting-coverage-of-protests.html. Accessed 10

Nov. 2020.

Yaffa, Joshua. “Is Russian Meddling as Dangerous as We Think?” The New Yorker, 7 Sept. 2020,

www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/09/14/is-russian-meddling-as-dangerous-as-we-think?emci=baa64da1

-d7f6-ea11-99c3-00155d039e74.