What do you think of when you see this picture?
Credit Bill Hudson/Associated Press
This photo is one of a select few that have been credited with the growth of support of the Civil Rights movement. This photo had to be taken by a photographer, then picked up by a newspaper, then it had to be picked up by the national news, to be seen by many to spark outrage. That is a lot of layers of people deciding whether or not to run this picture. There is a good chance that no one ever sees this picture and that the Civil Rights movement struggles to gain traction.
Thankfully that was not the case; however, how many other social movements lost support, or shriveled and died because one picture, or one story was not shared by the traditional media? Social media has changed that.
In their paper, “Why Civil Resistents Works” Erica Chenoweth and Maria Stephan estimate that a social movement needs the support of about 3.5% of the total population in order to be effective. Examples of this can be found in the People Power Revolution in the Philippines and the Rose Revolution in Georgia. These protests sparked change with little to no help of social media, but they were difficult to organize and it took a long time for the change to happen.
This brings us to Hong Kong. It is a city that I absolutely love. I have been there on a few occasions and hope to live in someday. Here is a picture I took from Victoria Peak.
This city is unique in that it has a system of its own operating in another country. It is “one country, two systems” as both the Chinese and Hong Kong people call it. Hong Kong does not operate behind the Great Firewall of China. One can go onto social media when in Hong Kong, but cannot access the same websites while in mainland China. There was a bill recently introduced that allowed for people in Hong Kong to be taken and prosecuted in mainland China without due process. The idea of due process is a right that Hong Kong citizens enjoy that their fellow countrymen on the mainland do not. This sparked massive protest.
These protests have gain momentum because of social media.
Pitcures like these have shown up on social media, helping to gain, not only more support within Hong Kong, but all over the world.
Studio Incendo
Even Twitter and Facebook have entered the fray, accusing China of spreading false information about the protest on their platforms.
There certainly is a dark side of social media; however, there are good uses for it. One of which is to get to that 3.5% support for social change. No longer do stories and pictures have to pass through multiple layers to be seen, but instead, anyone with a phone can become an agent for social change. The use of social media may become what traditional media was once known as, and that is the 4th branch of government. A way for people to hold those in power accountable.
More on the 3.5% theory found here.
More about China and Hong Kong found here.