Standing up for what you strongly believe in is something that has always been incredibly important to me. I exercise this by writing articles and blog posts about all of the lightly discussed topics of the world and participating in protests. A lot of my information about things going on in the world is given to me from social media. There are activists just like me everywhere that do exactly what I do to try and change the world. Then there are people who let their efforts stop at their poorly circulating social media posts.
Social media activists can be described as people who take to social media to show their disgust in all of the injustice that is happening in the world. There is no problem using social media to be informed and to inform others, but they stop there. While others go to the protests, make the petitions, and write to Senators, the social media activists are just getting into arguments. They are the true keyboard warriors of our generation. Not all social media activists are bad though. Before I was able to travel places on my own or even really understood politics and everything happening in the country, I was one. A lot of people are just like that. I used the news and information that I got from social media to teach myself about politics, laws, and I even used it to teach me what I actually believed. All of that is fine, but stopping there is not enough. We currently live in a country where the President is openly racist and a sex offender, we are at risk for war, and minorities are dying everyday from police misconduct. More steps need to be taken than just arguing with someone that shares different views than you on a social media platform. Once I realized that, I started using my experience and gift in journalism to do more. I want to educate others about what is going on as well as change the world myself. I go to the protests, I start and contribute to the clubs that take a stand against the injustice, I try to make a change. The whole point of this wasn't to judge or look down on people who are strictly social media activists, it's to get people to try and take a stand. I am a black young woman who does not have the pleasure to stand by idly and witness everything happening in the world. The events are happening to me and will in the end always have a large impact on me, so I have to do something. Eventually, we should want everyone to think the same and go "Hey, I have to do something", but for now all we're gonna get is social media activists.
