Personalization & Acceleration

In Poell and Van Dijck's text, Social Media and Activist Communication, they discuss the "two vital developments in social media-driven contemporary activism: the acceleration and personalization of activist communication" (529) and how these two types of developments effect the activism world within social media. These two types can apply to any piece of social media activism, but within my research of transgender youth rights - personalization is the most effective and more widespread within the community. Personalization is almost exactly as it sounds, referencing your own personal experiences with the subject. For example, raising money to help a young transgender child have healthcare expenses paid for. The acceleration is shown within my research by the almost hawk-like reflexes people have, lately, with the bills and governmental policies coming out statewide - and dispersing them as quickly as possible for those who live in those more conservative states. These two developments are the key components for social media activism, and should be just as important with regards to how social media in itself holds power within an activist campaign.

Source

Poell, Thomas & José van Dijck (2015). Social Media and Activist Communication. In The Routledge Companion to Alternative and Community Media, 527-537, edited by C. Atton. London: Routledge