On Wall Street, the protests against big business are still raging. The main issue is that the wealthiest 1% of America has the most influence on corporations and their decisions due to an uneven distribution at wealth. As a result, the interests of the majority of citizens are not being represented. The protest started as a relatively slow-moving, unknown movement. However, social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook have contributed to the building momentum. Here are three ways movements fueled by social media can progress:
1) Create a Public Call to Action
The boost social media provides to a cause is symbolized in a video from a hactivist group “Anonymous Press”. While the Wall Street protest was initially started by Adbusters magazine, Anonymous was one of several groups who moved to increase support and was one of the most successful in doing so. Anonymous released an add on YouTube calling for people to show their support for the protest through all forms of social media. One key factor is that the ad encourages (to the point of demanding) support through social media. They state in the video:
“We must share the truth through our social networks, by texting, instant/private messaging, posting, and blogging to our friends and relatives. We must take to the streets and speak of the truth in our coffee shops and mall outlets. Our voices will be heard.”
The video then encourages blogging, writing articles, and asks people to “flood their twitter accounts” with the hashtag #OccupyWallStreet. Anonymous recognized how vital social media is in order to gain widespread attention and support. According to an article from AllFacebook, Facebook posts for the protest were going up at a rate of one every six seconds.
2) Get Mainstream Media Attention
Anonymous understood how social media plays into mainstream media when it made this video. Support on social media represents the interests of the people. The activity on Facebook and Twitter illustrated that this was a trending issue that was continuing to pick up steam. While the movement was largely ignored in the beginning, social media coverage and citizen journalism resulted in mainstream coverage.
This blog post from the CNN begins by saying that social media is the reason Occupy Wall Street has gained such momentum. In the title it even refers to the protest by the Twitter hashtag, #OccupyWallStreet. CNN later paid the protest more attention with an official article, giving a more detailed account of the protesters’ actions. The article states that protesters have begun printing a newspaper called the “Occupy Wall Street Journal” and that they “appear steadfast in their general criticism of the country’s wealthiest 1% and its purported influence”.
3) Take the Movement Offline
As greater attention is being drawn to Occupy Wall Street, protesters are gaining more ground not just in Twitter feeds and Facebook groups. The same CNN article pointed out that several smaller protests were beginning to appear in other cities such as Boston, Hartford, and Seattle. The main cause of these small groups gathering was that more people had heard of Occupy Wall Street through the mainstream media, as well as Twitter and Facebook. Instead of people merely posting their support in the form of tweets, supporters were standing up for the cause in actual locations.
Having more supporters physically join their efforts was the ultimate goal of those who supported Occupy Wall Street, as a larger constituency makes their message impossible to ignore. It all began with a few people raising their voices on Facebook and Twitter.
This kind of movement being powered by social media highlights one of its undeniable strengths in today’s society. The protests began because only 1% of the population was wealthy enough to influence Wall Street, while the citizens affected the most were unable to voice their own opinions. These people did not have a strong enough voice to reach them. Facebook and Twitter’s capability for amplifying the public’s voice and creating actual change is being showcased; social media is becoming a soapbox for the people. Eventually, the voices may be loud enough for the other 1% of Americans to hear them.
Contact Maxx at meantonu@syr.edu or on Twitter @Maxx1128.
