QCQ for _Small Change____________________________________________
Quotation (with page number or parag number or time stamp if video/audio)
“Fifty years after one of the most extraordinary episodes of social upheaval in
American history, we seem to have forgotten what activism is.” (Gladwell 3)
Comment (250-500 words)
I think this quote is important because it speaks to one of the largest issues with social media activism. The issue is not, in my opinion, social media itself. Social media can be a great tool to organize people, unite people, and connect people. The issue lies in who uses social media and the disconnect between our generation and the generations prior. This generation views social media as the end all be all. In other words, we give too much power to the platforms we voice our opinions on and not ourselves. This is evident in my life, too. An example of this is the UNE petition to prevent the schedule switch. I actually signed this petition, and I think the movement was great in uniting the UNE community. What does the petition actually result in, though? It’s not like UNE made the petition, and it’s even less likely that UNE will simply see a number of votes and decide to change their minds. In reality, the petition is probably going to be useless. This is the issue with social media. The platform unites us, but we can’t make a change unless we ACTUALLY do something. We all think we/re making a change, though, which is the problem with this generation.
Question
Is there any way social media can actually make a change? Will this UNE petition result in anything worthwhile?
