Introduction
-Adrienne Rich
Social movements are a worldwide phenomenon and while they may vary greatly in ideology, size, demographics, organizational structure, and what overarching issue(s) they are fighting for, one thing they all have in common is what they hope to achieve: social change. Now historically, technology has played a pivotal and influential role in social movements. From the invention of the printing press, which at the time served as a catalyst for many movements as it allowed for information to spread more quickly to radio and television, which brought the issues directly into the private homes of million of people. In a similar way, the various new forms of information and communication technologies or ICTs have assisted many of today’s social movements. With the most recent ICTs, specifically new media platforms such as blogs, wikis, and social media sites along with their links to the internet, social movements have been able to reach new levels in the ways they mobilize, build connections, inform, communicate, campaign, and most importantly generate real world change.In the midst of all the social movements that are currently present around the world, #BlackLivesMatter has emerged as just one example of such a movement that has ignited social protest both online and offline. Focusing on the Black Lives Matter Movement and drawing upon and extending the concept of transmedia organizing, new media, media bridging, digital divide, participation gap, and…presented by various academic scholars, I will to answer how this particular social movement has engaged with new media while considering the ways race shapes digital participation and how these new technologies’ potential generate critical engagement among and within diverse communities.
As more of the world becomes connected online, ordinary people and social revolutionaries across the world are being empowered in ways never seen before. As I find, through #BlackLivesMatter, ordinary African Americans have been given a space where the voices have been allowed to be heard and their stories allowed to be told.
