Social media has changed the way that activist movements organize. Social media has made activism more personable and more visible. This has lead people to create a political identity narrative for themselves online that is unique to them. Social media allows people to feel like they have a voice and can self-represent themselves to an audience they would have never had before social media platforms existed. Social media has also allowed for more digital storytelling which makes political movements feel more personable because humans have emotional responses to narrative truth.

When I think about the phrase political activism, images come to mind of people protesting on streets or people having heated debates on college campuses, but the truth is I have not experienced these things in real life myself. I have only seen them on social media. Even though, I have not seen many demonstrations of political activism in real life, I do feel personally connected to certain political movements because of how invested I am in engaging with activist content online. Although, this does not apply to me personally, I know many social media users who repost activist content or post their own political opinions, but would never display such behavior in real life settings. This relates to the point the author was making that social media users are inclined to create political biographies for themselves online.

I think that the most important opportunity social media offers for political activists is the opportunity to tell stories. Digital storytelling has proven to be effective in spreading information and motivating the public. One example, would be in 2020 when George Floyd was murdered. The video of his murder was brutal and difficult to watch, but it was a form of digital storytelling that motivated people to support anti-racism efforts in our country. I think they way that TikTok is being used by the LGBTQ+ to spread information is another example of how impactful digital storytelling. Watching a TikTok feels more personable than reading a research paper on gay movements and so I think that it has expediated the process of public acceptance toward this group.

One of the concerns I have about political activism on social media is that it will eventually just become performative and/or that when it is not performative it will be disregarded as virtue signaling and not be taken as seriously as other forms of media activism. I think that social media activism is only purposeful when it causes real-life change otherwise it seems like just another way to grab attention on the internet through identity narrative. I think that political activists should continue to spread information via social media but they also need to focus on real policy change.