In the paper, “Social Media Activism, Self-Representation and the Construction of Political Biographies,” Barassi argues that social media activism differs from other forms of media activism due to the visibility of political participation and the personalization.
Barassi begins his argument by introducing the fact that as the internet has evolved, media activism has developed into a system where an individual gathers information from their online networks and then builds and displays their narratives and personal political identity through posts, images, and comments on these platforms. Access to social media allows people to be exposed to different political information sources, enriched by a diverse body of voices, and it gives people the freedom of communication. As an instrument of freedom, the media has become a safeguard for democracy, and a defender of the rights and stories of individuals. According to Barassi, the relationship between voice and democratic emancipation is arguable, however, “personal narratives and authenticity have been transformed in the digital age (Hertzberg Kaare and Lundby, 2008) and how digital technologies have redefined the relationship between authorship and authority.”
Social media activism allows activists to construct their identity individually, by telling digital stories. This helps an individual form a sort of public, political biography, that showcases things like their candidate preferences, their views in regards to conservatism and liberalism, and more localized opinions and arguments. This system of social media activism also exposes the individual to what their neighbors are posting, and they have the freedom to comment, like, and interact with each other based on their political profiles. According to Barassi, this process is, “crucial to the construction of a common ‘we’,” in addition to enabling “ intimate and personal processes of self-representation and construction.” Overall, Barassi argues that social media activism has promoted the building of individual and collective identities because it has created a new level of visibility, where political participation is promoted and on full display.
This sounds like an interesting article. It’s intuitive to think that social media activism is mostly all bark and no bite, but I like the idea that the visibility of opinions and the ability to interact with others about their political opinions is useful when building “individual and collective identities.” In the past, the only public or “visible” record of political participation was whether or not you’ve voted. Social media allows one to create more colorful public record of her political participation. I can’t help but wonder, however, about the role that social media platforms play in this. Facebook and Twitter have been criticized for doing too much and doing too little with their content moderation. There’s an interesting legal debate to be had there, too, whether or not they have any responsibility to protect speech or remove harmful rhetoric.