We all know that the power of Facebook and Twitter is constantly expanding. In addition to publishing information and sharing daily, people can organize events or organize protests. Take local Hong Kong as an example. The most controversial topic is the Umbrella Movement(2014).
The protests need to be approved by the government, but how is the umbrella movement formed?
Initially small crowd protests, followed by increased use of social media, the protest movement and issues for the public’s attention. Social media platforms are increasingly becoming an important tool for disseminating information and organizing protests. The live news of the protests was continuously updated on various social media. “Scholarism,” “HKFS” promoted and promoted protests on the facebook page. Even those who did not attend the protest shared images of yellow umbrellas on social media Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, symbolizing support. In addition to a single support organization posted on social media, the voice of opposition also supported the government’s people to refute on social media, as well as through the organization of pages to promote goals and positions. It can be seen that social media has increased its scale and strengthened the impact of the Umbrella Movement.
In addition to the Umbrella Movement, the Tiananmen Incident, which has received attention every year, caused turmoil under social media. People publish word-related words on the social media microblog in the Mainland (for automatic filters, people will “May 35th” on behalf of “June 4th”) to arouse the attention of the mainland people. In order to support the Hong Kong protest movement, mainland users shared the image of the umbrella and made the “umbrella” an easily recognized symbol of solidarity.
Not only is Hong Kong using social media for protests, but other countries have related cases, such as the Euromaidan. This shows that social media is inseparable from people.
– Silva
References
- Wing Man, W. (2017, October 12). Effect of Social Media on the Umbrella Movement. Retrieved from https://www.ukessays.com/essays/media/effect-social-media-umbrella-movement-6448.php
- Parker, E. (2014, October 1). Social Media and the Hong Kong Protests. Retrieved from https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/social-media-hong-kong-protests
- Wee Sile, A. (2015, September 16). Hong Kong’s digitized fight for democracy. Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/16/social-media-key-to-hong-kongs-occupy-central-fight-for-democracy.html
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