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Gray, Cristina

Professor Gregory

DTC 101

25 October 2020

Movements across Social Media

In a world now so driven by technology, it has become a place for individuals to speak up

and speak out about the issues in the world around them. Instagram and Twitter are two of the

most widely used social media platforms used by people of all ages where you can see activism

clearly through posts, ‘tweets’, and what’s currently trending. A prevalent issue that we have

been discussing in class but also seeing all over the media is the BLM movement. The BLM

movement started in​ July 2013 when the use of the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter became popular

after the freeing of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of black teen Trayvon Martin. With

African-American citizens fighting for non-violent civil disobedience in protest against incidents

of police brutality, the hashtag once again became popular after the death of George Floyd. As

the hashtag rose to popularity on all social platforms, with everything there are always two sides

to the conversation. Through the exploration of looking through Instagram and Twitter, it is clear

that there is some biased opinion as well as two clear perspectives regarding this movement.

A noticeable correlation between who supported the BLM movement and the

contradicting Blue Lives Matter movement was what political affiliation they identify with. Blue

Lives Matter is the saying that cops should be prosecuted under hate crimes and nothing more

and this belief usually falls under a conservatives viewpoint. My idea going into this assignment

was to choose these two movements and specify one for Instagram and the other for Twitter. I

dedicated a more liberal, BLM empowered viewpoint for Instagram and a more conservative,
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Blue Lives matter viewpoint for Twitter. On both platforms I followed and liked posts/tweets

that correlated with the viewpoint I was trying to get across and within a day, my feed was

covered with posts aligning with what I had liked.

As previously stated, I dedicated to using Instagram to focusing on the Pro BLM issues

and seeing things from a more liberal standpoint. I started around 15-20 posts that came in close

correlation with things like protests that were happening all around the US, art, and reposts of

ways you can help get involved, and lastly petitions for a better justice system. The BLM

movement stands ​against systemic racism and all racially motivated violence against black

people. Within liking these posts in support of the movement, my suggested followings and feed

were covered with posts just like the ones I had liked. The article ‘How Black Lives Matter Uses

Social Media to Fight the Power’ by WIRED says that ‘Any large social movement is shaped by

the technology available to it and tailors its goals, tactics, and rhetoric to the media of its time.’

which is even the case today. I incorporated this concept that I had seen all over Instagram by

adding some black made art to the background of my infographic as well as the outline of the

clenched fist in the air which is the icon of the movement. The process in which I found these

simple yet impactful images and why it was important to add it to the overall vision is to see and

be​ aware of what the BLM movement is trying to accomplish.

Just as I did for Instagram I did for Twitter, however, this time retweeting and liking

posts with a right-leaning, Blue Lives Matters perspective. With this in mind and after liking

relation images, my feed once again was automatically swarmed with a post relating to Blue

Lives Matter, and even more so, the upcoming election. I was shocked at how I saw more

advertisements for Trump, Republican Presidential Nominee than I saw over the issue at hand. I
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incorporated and documented this way of thinking on the right side by including posts and

infographics commonly used by Blue Lives Matter activists.

The idea of making it half and a half was the biggest point I was trying to get across with

my graphic. It shows that there are two sides to every issue, whether you agree with it or not. In

today’s society, everyone is so quick to voice their opinion without hearing the other side. In a

place now so numb to the tragedies of both sides, the article ‘What Does Seeing Black Men Die

For You?’ explains it further by saying ‘the increased visibility of trauma and death at the hands

of cops isn’t doing as much as it should be. The legacy of our increased exposure to black death

has merely been the deadening of our collective senses.’ which is so true. With the image and

explanation, I hope to allow some insight from both sides on how the world truly is around us all.

Citations:

Stephen, B. (2020, October 14). How Black Lives Matter Uses Social Media to Fight the Power.

https://www.wired.com/2015/10/how-black-lives-matter-uses-social-media-to-fight-the-pow

er/

Smith, J. (2015, April 13). Videos of Police Killings Are Numbing Us to the Spectacle of Black

Death. ​https://newrepublic.com/article/121527/what-does-seeing-black-men-die-do-you
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