The Power and Danger of Hashtag Activism


When First Lady Michelle Obama recently posted a photo of herself holding a sign that said #BringBackOurGirls, in reference to the kidnapping of hundreds of Nigerian girls, it marked the latest effort to attract attention to a cause using a hashtag campaign. San Jose Mercury News columnist Michelle Quinn says hashtag activism is the digital equivalent of slapping a bumper sticker on your car. And while it can help draw attention very quickly, Quinn says the danger of a hashtag campaign is that it can cause people to feel as though they’ve done something for a cause without taking time to understand it or actually taking steps to solve it.

SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News

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