Week 4 Blog Post

In this reading from Poell and Van Dijck, they discuss the use of social media platforms in activism and protest mobilization. They mention how broader platforms of mainstream media, such as SchNEWS and Indymedia, tend to gloss over the reasons and broader aspects of protest, instead focusing on the "newsworthy" aspects. With alternative platforms such as social media, they "have been considered important, not only because they allow for more issue-focused reporting, but also because alternative journalism tends to explicitly foreground 'the viewpoints of 'ordinary people' (activists, protestors, local residents)." However, Poell and Van Dijck mention how alternative media does not allow online activists to broadcast their message to mass audiences, and thus have difficulty bringing about a shift in power.

Poell and Van Dijck also discuss two developments of online activism through social media: acceleration and personalization. Acceleration involves online users massively exchanging information in real-time. They are able to document current protest events and share their emotions and opinions regarding these events. Personalization involves the importance of individuals' own narratives rather than collective identity frames, focusing on the solidarity and togetherness aspects of communities.

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With the topic of shifting power and mass audiences in regards to the Me Too Movement, since the movement itself involves a broad topic (the broad topic being sexual assault), it has been able to reach a mass amount of people with its overarching message. The fact that the hashtag was ultimately started by actress Alyssa Milano shows that the movement had a good amount of power from the start. The movement has then gone on to be mentioned at events like the Oscars and the Golden Globe, spreading its message to even larger audiences and gaining more publicity. Considering how sexual assault tends to exist in the entertainment industry, this has caused a lot of actors to come forward and talk about their personal experiences, most of them having been influenced by the movement online and how many other people were sharing their stories. My movement has not necessarily experienced a general shift in power, but certainly the celebrities who have brought it to light, plus the thousands of people online who have participated in the movement, all hold a significant amount of power, strong enough to dominate the internet and inflict a lot of social change. This was all conducted by personalization.