Week 9 Blog Post

One place one can quickly learn recent information about their chosen movement is through the use of social media. One of the more popular platforms is Twitter, and, for my chosen movement – climate justice – one could follow accounts run by organizations, such as the various Greenpeace accounts, or accounts run by specific activists, such as Greta Thunberg. Following a very limited number of social media accounts may limit the amount of information received, and, as such, one should try to branch out from a starting point, as informal networks of individuals interested in the same topics exist on social media platforms. This could likely be accomplished simply through the following of accounts liked or retweeted by an already followed account that seem to provide a useful stream of information.

Social media likely won’t be enough on its own, however. Sure, occasionally accounts may link to articles that go into greater depth on a topic, but often times the character limit will simply bottleneck the amount of information a single tweet can convey. As such, one should supplement their use of social media with other sources. On current events, large news organizations – NPR, the Associated Press, the New York Times, etc. – are frequently updated and present a good deal of information. For analysis of current events, though it might be slower, one can turn to progressive media sources such as VICE News, the Intercept, or Vox. One also ought to draw from more academic sources, such as articles in academic orders, despite the greater time needed to produce them. One can examine trends and develop a critical framework through which to interpret new information, as well as developing a more in-depth understanding of the topic overall.