Age of Information: Recognizing Oppression

We will never have true civilization until we have learned to recognize the rights of others

Will Rogers

As technology has advanced over the past three decades both younger and older generations have developed a dependency on cellphone usage. As an important and vital factor of modern communication and community, we rely on our phones to serve a greater purpose. On one hand our attachment to technology exposes the grim qualities of social interaction that have increasingly transcended into dangerous and unhealthy behaviors in the physical world. Humans are no stranger to conflict and the internet is no different with phenomenons such as: cyber bullying, political extremism, and hyper surveillance. The internet is as vast as our physical world, which means where there is dread, there’s also hope.

As the evisnioners of what virtual reality can be we have also transformed the space to uplift censored communities. In recent years we have seen a transformation in community resistance tactics using hashtags, mass post campaigns, or repost. This can be observed in various social justice movements Black Lives Matter, reproductive rights marches, etc. The good thing about mobile activism is it’s accessible to everyone and centers solidarity. According to Sage Journals, “ social media plays an important role in building knowledge about the systemic nature of oppression across different populations and thus allows groups facing shared institutional marginalization to create connections and potentially work together to challenge systemic injustices.”

Understanding the importance of social media and how we navigate the web directly impacts our role in humanitarian situations. Though we may not be the present victims of violence or systemic barriers it’s foolish to assume this dynamic will always exist. It’s important we share,repost, comment and like in virtual spaces to continuously boost our fellow humans struggles. New and experienced activist should remain vigilant in providing credible information for oneself and everyone they’re connected to by the internet. It’s easy to log on and off but the next time you spend your average 5 hours and 24 minutes on your mobile device each day, commit to a humanitarian need. Palestinian, Congolese, Sudanese, and Tirgrigna voices grow stronger with your support while you grow intolerant of systemic oppression. Indecisiveness, silence, performative activism and unwillingness to research are all tools that enable atrocities to reoccur from both citizens and governments. Have fun on social media by all means but make good use of the 96 times per day you will check your phone and spread awareness!