#helpful?

Hashtags are all over twitter, for example in my last tweet I had #pens (for the Pittsburgh Penguins) attached to the end.  The hashtag allows anyone else to see it, due to the fact that twitter can search for words hashtagged and group them together. 

 

With the power to group similar tweets together, it was only a matter of time until trends to appear, whether it be about something related towards pop culture (#Grammys2015 for example) to a big sporting event (#Daytona500), or anything in between! People also started to turn towards hashtags to come together to support a cause, often taking the internet by storm.  These crazes calling for justice are called Hashtag Activism or #activism.

 

Often bringing awareness to a cause, #activism is generally viewed as a positive thing among those who tweet for a cause on a consistent basis, but are they truly doing anything?  When was the last time a hashtag directly saved a life, donated to charity, or found a cure for a disease? The answer is… never. So if it is not directly making an impact, why do many consider it as a good thing?

 

Typical answers among those survived were “it raises awareness” or “shut up I donated”

 

So in reality #activism raises awareness.  It allows others to get in touch with the cause, which in turn can lead to more donations or someone who has more money or more power to do something that an average person cannot do.

 

The other problem facing the credibility of #activism is that often people use the hashtag in a joking (often dark matter) or just use the hashtag to get more favorites, retweets, and followers.  For example, when the #likeagirl was trending after the Super Bowl –to spread gender equality and to end using “like a girl” as a negative statement—there were multiple people using it to demean women, and even a similar hashtag #likeaboy was invented.  Many found this demeaning, and called out those who used these hashtags. 

 

Another example of #activism gone array due to the hashtag being used in the improper way was #blacklivesmatter after the Ferguson police officer wound up not being sent to court for shooting Mike Brown.  Many started using the hashtag just to look better, and often used it incorrectly.

 

All in all, #activism can be good if used correctly and if it leads to action being taken, but for the most part it fails, therefore it is #almosthelping. 

http://www.westernjournalism.com/hashtag-activism/#REhuYyTYfPwYfTIU.97