We are the Ones We've Been Waiting For is a fantastic article by the Moya Bailey and Alexis Pauline Gumbos. They are two Black feminists who really want to spread their message in a completely new way than was ever possible in the older days of feminism: they took to social media.
The internet has become such a vital part of our everyday lives. We get email alerts on our phones, check twitter every 20 seconds and know exactly what everyone around us is doing at all times. But, the internet lets us do something amazing that we had not been able to do before. With the internet, we can connect with anyone from anywhere. When deciding to spread the Black feminist message, Moya and Alexis created a blog, a Facebook group, a reading group and a network that allows them to meet up regularly with other Black feminists who share similar ideas. This utilization of social media is the best way for people to get their message out there and band together to make real changes. In this era of feminism, the only way to be heard is to get the message out there to large groups of people. Alexis and Moya did just that.
I completely agree! Where would we be without the internet and social networks?? Quite honestly, I can't imagine a world where we didn't have access to all this information haha
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I think causes in today's society that do not utilize social media take a backseat and receive less attention than those who do. It's really important that, in a time when people are using social networking and the internet, activists focus their attention on the outlets where their voices will be heard. Social media is a great way for feminists to spread their ideals and rally support because people from far away, those with time consuming jobs, and those who may be afraid to publicly declare themselves a feminist can still read blogs or watch youtube videos on the cause.
ReplyDeleteWithout social media we would still be handing out flyers and making signs to attract the attention of the public. Today we have it so easy, to simply post something on the internet and have a number of people read it and respond. It is a faster and more efficient way to get ones message across, but at the same time I feel like it loses the personal touch that spreading a message once had. The face-to-face contact/ interactions of people are lost, which I think really helps promote a cause.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments everyone. Kirsten, I think you bring up a good point about the drawbacks of having access to so much information all the time. Sometimes it can be easier to ignore messages or not be as actively involved in a cause if we can just delete the email or flip to the next image. One thing that I appreciate from the Bailey and Gumbs article is that they show how they used social media to organize in-person meetings and activities as well as share information online.
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