Reflective Critique 3

Chosen Questions

For my assignment, I have chosen the following questions:

 Cell phones have become important tools for activism. Explain how cell phones give

power to individuals to document and share social injustices and enable movements

like #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo to gain momentum. How does this ability change

who has the power in society make sure to explain the Hawthorn Effect? Any examples

should be from the last 5 years.

 How things like #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo (these are only examples - choose

your own) have changed the concept of power on the web and the world. Find another

hashtag from the last 5 years that has also contributed to this change. Explain the

hashtag and what it changed/is changing regarding the concept of power on the web

and the world. Include screenshots of where the hashtag is being used.

Response to the Questions

Introduction

Cell phones have single-handedly transformed activism in this digital age by bridging the

possibility of recording and sharing social injustices that take place in real-time. In doing so,

these devices increase people's ability to broadcast in real time, thus giving voice to those voices

previously silenced and shifting the power dynamic. This shift is evident in movements like

#BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo, which have used the power of social media to drive global

awareness and action. Since mobile phones turn over 'who holds the power' in storytelling and

how social problems are addressed, they redefine the concept of power, online and offline,
having redefined it to be much more inclusive and much more dynamic as a platform of social

change.

Cell phones and activism

Cell phones have become key in activism, especially with the ability to document and

distribute social injustices in real-time. For example, the #EndSARS movement took place in

Nigeria. On October 4, 2020, a video spread unchecked of SARS operatives dragging two men

out of a hotel and shooting one outside (Amnesty International, 2021). Days later, protests kicked

off across Nigeria. These videos, which have gone viral on social media sites like Twitter,

Facebook, and Instagram, reached millions of viewers across the globe and were irrefutable

proof that the Nigerian government had disbanded the unit. The statistics underline the deep

impact of activism enabled by cell phones. Essien (2020) wrote that at the height of the

#EndSARS protests, the hashtag #EndSARS was used over 28 million times on Twitter alone,

thereby showing the engagement and awareness raised through social media.

Hence, the ability to document and share events widely can lead to the Hawthorne Effect,

wherein people change behaviour in response to awareness of being observed (Kenton et al.,

2022). In the case of #EndSARS, global visibility of protests and police actions puts pressure on

authorities to respond and yield to concessions such as the disbandment of SARS. This

democratization in information dissemination challenges traditional power hierarchies, making it

increasingly hard for institutions to maintain control over the narrative and forcing them into a

greater degree of accountability.

Hashtags and change in the concept of power on the web and the world.

Hashtags have played a crucial role in highlighting and combating racial discrimination

and violence against Asian communities. Probably the most influential pre-existing revolutionary
hashtag is #StopAsianHate. According to Jacques et al. (2023), this serves as a call to action

against the surge in anti-Asian racism and violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. It greatly

beckoned awareness, solidarity, and justice with systemic change toward ending discrimination

and hate crimes against Asian communities. Individuals and organizations use the hashtag to

raise their voices against such injustices perpetrated against Asians, leveraging public opinion to

include more care and protection.

In the context of #StopAsianHate, there is evidence of a Hawthorne effect regarding how

heightened visibility and scrutiny brought by the hashtag led to tangible change at the policy and

police practice levels. Jacques et al. (2023) highlighted that significant changes related to the

hashtag took place at the federal levels of the United States. This is reflected in the rapid passage

by Congress in May 2021 of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. This legislation assigned an

official at the Justice Department to focus on COVID-19-related hate crimes while offering

additional funds to law enforcement agencies to report hate crimes. Also, there was a general

improvement in the training resources so that police could take meaningful action against hate

crimes (Jacques et al., 2023). This is a major policy shift, with an influence of #StopAsianHate in

bringing about concrete change in the government to fight against racism and protect vulnerable

communities from the ongoing threats of hate.

Conclusion

Cell phones brought a revolution to activism through location-based, real-time

documentation and wide-reaching dissemination of social injustices. Movements such as

#EndSARS and #StopAsianHate have shown how these devices have democratized, empowered,

shifted power dynamics, and made effective policy changes. In doing so, cell phones make
activism more inclusive and effective in bringing change to society while changing the way

power is distributed and exercised within online and offline spaces.

References

Amnesty International. (2021, February 25). #EndSARS movement: from twitter to Nigerian

streets. Amnesty International.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2021/02/nigeria-end-impunity-for-police-

violence-by-sars-endsars/

Essien, H. (October 11, 2020). #EndSARS surpasses #BlackLivesMatter, packs nearly 30 million

tweets in two days. Peoples Gazette. Retrieved from https://gazettengr.com/endsars-

surpasses-blacklivesmatter-packs-nearly-30-million-tweets-in-two-days/

Jacques, E. T., Basch, C. H., Fera, J., & Jones II, V. (2023). # StopAsianHate: A content analysis

of TikTok videos focused on racial discrimination against Asians and Asian Americans

during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dialogues in Health, 2, 100089.

Kenton, W., Estevez, E., & Rohrs Schmitt, K. (2022). Hawthorne effect definition: How it works

and is it real. Investopedia. Retrieved October, 22, 2022.

Source: Amnesty International (2021).

The screenshot narrates how the #endSARS started with a viral video of police officers

humiliating individuals. It is a great example of supporting the power of cell phones to fuel

activism. It shows how a single video led to massive protests in a few days.

References

Amnesty International. (2021, February 25). #EndSARS movement: from twitter to Nigerian

streets. Amnesty International.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2021/02/nigeria-end-impunity-for-police-

violence-by-sars-endsars/
Example 2

Source: (Zhou, 2022)

The image shows an example of a protest where #StopAsianHate is used on placards in the

middle of protests. This supports my argument on the power of hashtags in bringing change, as it

symbolizes the struggle against hate and discrimination.

References

Zhou, L. (2022, March 15). The Stop Asian Hate movement is at a crossroads. Vox.

https://www.vox.com/22820364/stop-asian-hate-movement-atlanta-shootings