The Effect Of Social Media On Social Movements

Social media includes many different websites and applications that allow users to create and share content and to participate in social networking (Merriam Webster). This global phenomenon has made its way into the everyday lives of millions of people and shows no signs of slowing down. There are many different social movements that have been impacted heavily by social media, if not created solely from the very existence of social media itself. One of the most recent and shockingly entertaining effects that social media has had on social movements, is its involvement in presidential elections. Social media’s recent involvement in the presidential election has had a positive effect on our younger generations involvement at the polls. Looking back on the history of social media, there are three distinct time periods that play a role in understanding where it came from including social media before 1990, social media in the 20th Century, and social media today. Before 1990 the invention of the telephone in 1890 and the radio in 1891 …show more content…
An idea may start small on social media, but if enough attention is given it creates a sort of snowball effect and can go viral in a matter of only a few hours. As far as politics goes in social media, I feel that it is positive in the way that it can reach the younger generation in a way that they prefer and can help to engage those who are politically unaware. There are still several discussion items related to this topic including: the next presidential election, virtual online petitions, online money-bombs, forums for debate issues, and recruiting for meetings and protests on a large scale. It is important to see the impact that social media has had on our society thus far, it is amazing to imagine where it will go in the next few