How Effective Is Social Media When It Comes To Raising Awareness? 

““But what can I do, I am just one person” Said 7 billion people…”

I saw the above quote in a post on Instagram shared by many people who are currently raising awareness about the war on Gaza. With a private Instagram account with 330 followers, most of them being family and close friends, and as I post things on my Story to inform people about the bizarre events that are taking place is Palestine right now, I do wonder if any of my posts have an impact on what is going on in the world. In this blogpost we will try to understand the importance of social media in catastrophic situations, as well as the impact that raising awareness on social media has on society. 

How Do We Use Social Media?

These platforms are used on the daily and for various purposes. Businesses and organizations tend to utilize their social media accounts to market, advertise, and communicate with their audiences. Some use these networking tools to connect with others, educate, and build different communities. 

In the recent years we have seen social media platforms as an open space for people to advocate, raise awareness, and share their opinions about social/societal issues and challenges. Many different topics have made it as major headlines and hashtags; all the way from the elections, to Climate Change, and even to pandemics. 

A Rewind Of Examples 

2020 was a year of change for me personally, especially since I had never thought I would not be having a proper graduation from high school, and it never crossed my mind that my first semester of college would be spent on an app called Zoom. Therefore, I chose the “great” year of 2020 to highlight events in this section. Below you will see three major examples where social media advocacy had a great impact on society during tough times. 

Back in January 2020, the Coronavirus Pandemic had entered the United States and the entire world experienced a big change. Restaurants closed down, schools went online, jobs became remote, and people started fighting over toilet paper! During that time people made use of social media by trying to spread positivity, staying connected while many were in quarantine, and sharing useful safety tips. Others have used their profiles to highlight their struggles, point out their hidden talents/hobbies, and talk about the value of self care/ family time. One of the most important things that people spread awareness about during that time was getting vaccinated and tested for covid regularly.

In March of 2020, just months after the start of the pandemic, many organizations and people stood together to recognize and document the rise of COVID-19 related anti-Asian racism. During that time thousands of people from all across the US have reported incidents of harassment, discrimination, bullying, and physical abuse under the hashtag Stop Asian Hate. This nationwide movement for racial justice became viral and in response millions of people protested anti-Asian racism. 

In May 2020, following the murder of George Floyd, individuals used #BlackLivesMatter to amplify anti-Black racism across the US and other nations in the world. The Black Lives Matter Global Network was established in 2013 and ever since then the movement has been recognized internationally. However, in the year 2020 many people shared videos, pictures, and stories form anti-racism protests and authority encounters that increased the awareness towards the BLM movement. 

Let’s Talk About What Is Going On As I Write This

From October 7th of 2023 and until today, Israel has caused more than 8000 deaths, more than 20 thousand injuries, more than 30% of hospital shutdowns, and the destruction of more than 30 places of worship in Gaza, Palestine. During the past couple of weeks many people, including celebrities and big corporations, posted on Social Media to express their solidarity with either the people of Israel or Palestine. 

Under the hashtags FreePalestine, Genocide, Humanity, Gaza, and CeasefireNow you can find a verity of posts. There are videos showing terrifying scenes of pain, wounds, and soulless bodies. Other videos are of children’s cries for help, of thousands of people around the world protesting to stop the killing of innocent civilians, and of images/videos from 1967 being compared to the events of October 2023. 

With the current blackout and ground invasion that the people of Gaza are experiencing, many people feel the need to raise awareness and spread the word about what is happening in that region. There has been little to no traditional media coverage reporting from Gaza, therefore social media has been the main tool used by civilians to report and document what they have been going through. On Friday October 27th and due to the blackout, there was no internet, no electricity, and no way for the world to reach to/connect with the people of Gaza. 

On the other hand, if people wanted to know more about the 1400 Israeli deaths and the 200 hostages that were taken on the 7th, they can simply turn on any western news channel to see full coverage of how the Iron Dome is protecting the city and how killing innocent children is the only possible way to destroy the terrorist Hamas. 

So Why Does Raising Awareness On Social Media Matter?

Because the transparency and accessibility of social media gives those who are oppressed a voice. Social media is powerful and it can have a lot of positive/negative impacts on a situation. For example, since the blackout took place, people have been tagging the CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, asking him to provide his Starlink internet service to Gaza, with #StarlinkGaza. On Sunday the 29th, Musk had admitted that he “felt global pressure” and therefore announced that Starlink will support connectivity to internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza. 

Raising awareness is important, and your voice is important. Going back to the quote all the way at the top, if all 7 billion humans on earth decided that there is nothing that they can do to change a situation, then that is very wrong. If you make one post, talk to one person, make one prayer, or stand one time to support a great cause, it will count.