{"id":185,"date":"2020-03-30T00:17:44","date_gmt":"2020-03-30T00:17:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.journalism.ryerson.ca\/rurukaul\/?p=185"},"modified":"2020-03-30T00:17:44","modified_gmt":"2020-03-30T00:17:44","slug":"social-media-transforms-the-way-we-build-solidarity-activists-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/project.journalism.torontomu.ca\/rurukaul\/2020\/03\/30\/social-media-transforms-the-way-we-build-solidarity-activists-say\/","title":{"rendered":"Social media transforms the way we build solidarity, activists say"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Social platform can help strengthen democracies<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On social media opinions can be voiced, audiences can be reached and connections can be made in a way that can\u2019t be done offline, said activists at the University of Toronto\u2019s Hart House on Thursday.
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Platforms like Facebook and Twitter allow people to get information about the social causes they are interested in. 
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\u201cActivism on social media gives a voice to people who otherwise may not be comfortable with the idea of protesting and allows them to make their voices heard. It\u2019s a democratizing platform as well,\u201d talent manager Daianna Williams told RSJ.
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Detail Shot: Daianna Williams answers a question from the audience at the Hart House Debates and Dialogue on Feb. 13. 2020. (RSJ\/Arundhati Kaul)

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Social media is a democratizing platform<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From a democratic lens, social media platforms have gotten so massive in such a small amount of time, said research manager Samantha Reusch.
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\u201cSocial media has helped change the dynamics into whose voices are heard, elevating platforms that would otherwise not be elevated and allowing access to different spaces,\u201d Reusch said.  
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The connection and trust that is built on social media is what draws in audiences. \u201cThe most amazing part about social media is you tend to bypass all those established systems and face your audience and try to find wisdom,\u201d said China analyst, commentator and TV writer Wen Zhao. 
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It\u2019s \u2018okay\u2019 to unplug<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Constant interaction with social platforms can leave a person with the feeling that they always need to be aware and updated of every issue, says writer and content creator Shantal Otchere. However it is okay to not be plugged in to every issue, she added.
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\u201cWhen it comes to our consumption of social media, we\u2019re constantly being inundated with all of this information and I think it\u2019s okay to choose which ones we stay connected to and which ones we sort of mute. I don\u2019t think our minds are designed to function this way where information is constantly being uploaded to our brain.\u201d
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Scene Setter: The speakers Ali\u00e9nor Rougeot, Daianna Williams, Shantal Otchere, Samantha Reusch and Wen Zhao wrap up the discussion on social media and activism at the Hart House Debates and Dialogue on Feb. 13. 2020. (RSJ\/Arundhati Kaul) <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n


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\nSocial platform can help strengthen democracies On social media opinions can be voiced, audiences can be reached and connections can be made in a way that can\u2019t be done offline, said activists at the University of Toronto\u2019s Hart House on…\n<\/div>\n
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