Keyboard Activism: Change Makers in the Digital Age
“Although nuance cannot be conveyed in 140 characters, our awareness of issues around the world has never been greater and the ability to disseminate information from your smartphone rivals entire TV networks of the 1970s.”
The term “keyboard warrior” is used to describe internet trolls and judgmental know-it-all’s who think their retweet to a change.org petition is the solution. Gen-Z have been criticised for their “shallow” understanding of politics and making snap judgments about complex and controversial issues based on widely circulated youtube clips and infographics.
Although nuance cannot be conveyed in 140 characters, our awareness of issues around the world has never been greater and the ability to disseminate information from your smartphone rivals entire TV networks of the 1970s. Last week, I watched my friends share “What you must know” posts on instagram about: the rising COVID-19 death toll in India; civil unrest in Columbia; Israeli forces storming Al-Aqsa mosque during Friday prayers and much more. Some posts were more informative than others.
I’ve been informed and persuaded. So, what now? What shall I do with all this information? I’ve leapt out of my seat to take action only to be sent an online petition or donation page. I don’t mean to be dismissive because both of these strategies have tremendous value.
Our attention spans are getting shorter and talented investigative journalists are being dropped from traditional print media. Newspapers are as rare as record players. Everything has moved online. However, this has created slicker and snappier forms of reporting - look at AJ+, Aljazeera’s all digital platform - they’ve found ways of condensing meaty topics into short 5-10 minute clips providing context and information.
Let’s meet the activists harnessing the power of the internet to create meaningful social change:
Alexei Navalny - Putin’s biggest challenger:
Alexei Navalny, Russian opposition leader and anti-corruption activist, is famous for his online videos deconstructing issues such as the embezzlement of funds and influence of oligarchs on Russia’s executive. Navalny was able to use his YouTube channel to criticise the Kremlin while circumventing Russia’s state media laws.
In 2013, he successfully ran an online campaign to compete as the Mayor for Moscow, which was quickly extinguished as he was arrested on “charges of embezzlement”. Navalny was also disqualified in running for President on the basis of these charges.
In 2020, Navalny was poisoned with a deadly nerve agent. An army of loyal supporters including Berlin-based NGO, Cinema for Peace, led to Navalny being flown on a private charter flight to the famous Charite hospital to receive treatment. Upon his return he released a video - exposing Putin’s vast assets and connections to the oligarchs - the video currently stands at 116+ million views.
Navalny’s response to being poisoned was to release a video featuring a conversation between him and the KGB agent that allegedly poisoned him with Novichok. Navalny impersonated the agent’s superior in order to get him to the details of the poisoning.
Navalny is currently serving three years for violating the terms of parole, but the impact of his online videos and level of support has never been stronger.
Greta Thunberg, Sweden’s Environmental Firebrand
Swedish environmental activist, Greta Thunberg, led a movement inspiring thousands of students across the world to skip school to protest on issues related to climate change. Greta practices what she preaches by insisting on using less polluting methods of travel. In 2019, she used a yacht to sail to New York after being invited to address a UN Climate Conference.
Greta has encouraged her followers to change tactics by adopting “digital strikes” instead of traditional protests to avoid spreading the COVID-19 virus. She encouraged protestors to upload selfies with placards onto social media with the hashtag #ClimateStrikeOnline. During the pandemic, Greta has managed to mobilise even more support for her Fridays For Future movement, which currently enjoys an online membership of 14 million people across 7,500+ cities.
Marley Dias, founder of #1000blackgirlbooks movement
Marley, American author and activist, is famous for challenging the status quo in children’s reading books, stories that were mainly about “white boys and their dogs”. Frustrated with the lack of diversity, Marley responded by stating her intention to collect 1000 children books where black girls were the main characters. Her online movement #1000blackgirlbooks exploded, prompting the attention of international bookstores (Barnes and Noble), U.S. chat show hosts (Ellen DeGeneres) and multiple authors.
Today, Marley has collected over 13,000 books and is the host of ‘Netflix’s Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices’ show. Marley has been invited to speak at the Whitehouse alongside Oprah and Michelle Obama as well featured in interviews with publications such as ELLE and Forbes Magazine. However, we often forget that an 11-year old girl almost single-handedly built an online community to rally support for creating a more inclusive reading list.
In her interview with CBS This Morning, Marley said: “I care about what white people have to say. I care about what black people have to say. I care about what Pacific Islanders, Asian, Latina, people with different abilities have to say. The campaign is about creating a space for all rather than pushing one group out and letting other groups in.”
Resources:
Call Between Alexey Navalny and FSB Officer Konstantin Kudryavtsev [English Subtitles] (click here)
Putin’s Palace Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipAnwilMncI&t=0s
Fridays For Future movement: https://fridaysforfuture.org/
Netflix’s Celebrating Black Voices Show: https://www.netflixbookmarks.com/
New York Times article on GameStop: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/27/business/gamestop-wall-street-bets.html
