Week 6 Thoughts

 Social media has changed our ways of life, including politics. If it weren't for social media, huge social rights movements like BLM would not have been at the level they were at. Social Media blew up George Floyd's death sparking huge protests and riots. This then dominoes into social media spreading stories like Kyle Rittenhouse who killed two protestors and the Stop Asian Hate movement.

Social media even change the way we document history. Because of social media, anyone with a smartphone and an internet connection can document and share their experiences and perspectives on historical events. If there is a protest and something happens the people at the protest are not only witnesses but reliable sources with the use of phones.

Earlier this year Raphl Yarl was shot and killed for ringing the doorbell of a house he thought was where his sister was. This story blew up on social media after an influencer explained the story to her platforms Tik Tok and Instagram. If this influencer did not make this video it would not have gotten the attention it deserved.

Another story I came across is businessman Imran Khohkar tweeted India's foreign minister, Sushma Swaraj, with a photograph of 800 starving Indians in Jeddah to alert her to the situation. This photo went viral and helped save over 10,000 starving workers in Saudi Arabia.

Social media has been an easy access channel that allows anyone with the internet to be exposed to real and first-hand news. It allows individuals and groups to quickly and easily communicate with large audiences and organize around common causes or goals.