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All over the world people have taken to social media to express their opinions
For over one hundred days now three reporters from the broadcaster AL-Jazeera have been held prisoner in Egypt. Thanks to social media their case has been spread all over the world. Ordinary people with no connection to the reporters, their network or even their country now have been given access to the information about their situation and the power to do something about it. A campaign on the social media site Twitter has recently emerged to try and help release the three men.
According to Ahram Online “The campaign on Monday – under the hashtag #FreeAJstaff – featured journalists from the BBC and various Al-Jazeera channels, who posted photos on Twitter with their mouths covered with tape while holding banners reading “Free AJStaff” and “Journalism is not crime.” Even among the mass amounts of information on the internet, the Twitter hash tag allows everything about the AL-Jazeera case to be put together and easily accessible. Its trending status allows it to be easily seen, followed and has spread to people all over the world, giving then an accessible outlet to voice their opinion.
The mass spread of the information on the subject has sparked real world action. Many have gathered outside BBC’s building in London (BBCnews) and several have arranged protests in South Africa (The Independent). When enough people support a cause it can have an enormous impact. Social media allows people to become more involved in affairs all over the world and express their opinions, creating movements that would not have been possible in the past. Protestors can gather hundreds of miles away and still create a massive effect. Every individual has the power to help change the world and social media gives them the perfect opportunity to do it.
