#Activism

When she was studying for her Ph.D., Lindsey Blumell wanted to look at journalism and human rights.

“I used to volunteer at an old-folks home, and then I did a lot of volunteer work — both where I come from in Canada but also abroad in Croatia and China. I used to volunteer for Amnesty International there fighting against the death penalty.”

However, she said that these activities didn’t stop her from using Twitter to look for activism opportunities and to study hashtag activism as a Ph.D. student.

“I think with all of that in mind,” Blumell said, “it was just a natural kind of magnetism to lead me to Twitter.”

As part of her research, Blumell said she likes to look at specific cases — see how they are covered in the media and why some events get media coverage while some events do not.

“When you look at certain injustices,” Blumell said, “it seems like the world has apathy towards some and not towards another.”

Trent Seltzer, Ph.D., chair of the Public Relations Department in the College of Media and Communication, said he doesn’t know the textbook definition of hashtag activism but he understands its purpose.

Lindsey Blumell in China.

Lindsey Blumell in China.

“The way that I see it used is kind of a very broad sense that just using social media to raise awareness of issues, problems,” Seltzer said, “and draw attention to causes and other initiatives that activist groups and others are trying to change the public perception of, get people to donate, get information about different issues out to people.”

However, Seltzer said hashtag activism also comes with a negative connotation.

“Now, how I also see it used, and this is in the wake of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and what not,” Seltzer said, “is more of a derogatory term with hashtag activism, or hashtag slacktivism, where the idea is people — they think that by simply posting #ALS, or hashtag whatever, that ‘I’ve done my duty; I’ve participated; I’ve changed the world by retweeting a tweet that has a hashtag in it about some issue, which I may or may not be familiar with.’”

Blumell echoed Seltzer’s sentiments, but she has a different outlook.

“I think if people are educating themselves,” Blumell said, “who knows, it at least changes something in their minds so that they’re aware of something that’s going on.”

Hyo Jin Kim, a graduate part-time instructor in the College of Media and Communication, said she didn’t follow recent trends like #BringBackOurGirls but follows important issues in her native country, South Korea.

Michelle Obama's #BringBackOurGirls picture was one of the most widely circulated on the internet. Photo courtesy of mashable.com.

Michelle Obama’s #BringBackOurGirls picture was one of the most widely circulated on the internet. Photo courtesy of mashable.com.

Kim said there are two major issues facing South Korea: the impending construction of a naval base on a small island and the sinking of the MV Sewol.

Kim said the mainstream South Korean media doesn’t cover what’s really going on.

Blumell said journalists, producers and editors have to know what’s interesting to their audience.

“They’re also under economic burdens,” Blumell said, “so they have to be as frugal and economically sound as possible, so pursuing these kind of human-rights stories takes time, takes a lot of knowledge, and therefore, they’re not reported on.”

Blumell said when she volunteered for Amnesty International in China to protest the death penalty in Hong Kong, her group posted pictures of the protests.

“I think that had a further reach than the people who actually saw us in real life,” Blumell said, “but then protesting in real life has more of an impact than when you see a picture online.”

About Halima Fasasi

I am a Journalism student from Arlington, Texas. Currently, I'm in my junior year at Texas Tech University. I'm an apprenticeship with The Hub for the fall semester. I am interested in creating a multimedia angle for the website.