Jim Watson’s always been a cool guy. But when he started a hashtag to ban a pro-rape group from coming to Canada, Ottawa’s mayor inspired people around the world.
Using the hashtag #TurnAwayReturnOfKings, thousands of men and women around the globe advocated to refuse letting Daryush Validzan, known online as Roosh V, and his radical supporters into the country.
As inspiring as these messages were on Twitter, that’s all they were. Does engaging on Twitter with a hashtag, re-tweet or follow really move social movements forward?
There’s a case to be made for both sides.
When we think about protests online, most people will remember the Arab Spring, where several Middle Eastern countries rebelled in the masses online to bring down repressive government regimes.
The result of millions of tweets brought down Egyptian, Libyan, and Tunisian governments who had all dominated their populations for decades. The protests were so dramatic, all of them combined were called the “Twitter revolutions.”
That’s because social media creates a space for people to gather and communicate when their rights are being suppressed. It allows for interaction, the sharing of ideas, and reciprocal conversations in 140 characters or less.
At the same time, it provides a forum for other, less socially acceptable conversations, which can easily expand to harassment. A case in point is the #TurnAwayReturnOfKings campaign.
Somehow, I ended up in the middle of the Twitter feud after tweeting out a picture found on the Return of King’s website with the right hashtag. It went viral. Three and four days later, I was still the target of rude, misogynistic comments. Why? Because I participated in an online protest?
Hate speech is prominent whether you protest online or in person—Twitter makes this possible. At the same time, though, arguing with these extreme views online leaves a permanent, anonymous record on the Internet, so if you find yourself applying for jobs or whatever else down the line, these comments could haunt you. The solution to effecting real change and avoiding the permanency of hate speech online, then, would be to participate in a local protest.
Going down to Parliament Hill or City Hall to support your case, whether it’s Uber or university tuition fees, not only directly confronts the politicians or groups that can bring about change, but it also makes sure that those who disagree with your position don’t hide behind their computer screens to shout it out.
While Twitter can spark debate, it really doesn’t mobilize entire populations the way live protests do. Because even if society calls the Arab Spring the “Twitter revolution,” the millions of people tweeting still went out on the streets to protest their governments.
Live protests are key to social change, not the ones that we half-heartedly participate in online. While Jim Watson started an online movement, he didn’t call anyone to assemble or showcase solidarity. Instead, the police were called on standby to intervene in Roosh V’s protests if they showed up.
It’s not his job to call us forward. We should have the courage to voice our opinions for a cause with our mouths, not our mouses. This is the only way we can “walk the walk” with what we say online and effect real change.
Maybe then, if citizens took to the streets, groups such as Return of Kings wouldn’t have so much power over society’s discourse.
