Digital Leadership and Online Activism
Activism is closely linked to digital leadership because they are both enhancing and promoting change and action towards certain topics. Both are linked because activism is wanting to produce significant and positive change which so is digital leadership. Activism and digital leadership are the ability to influence others in a way that will better the community.
Activism in person and online are similar and different, you can address the issue you are fighting for but on the other hand, you aren’t in front of someone physically to tell your story. Just because you aren’t fighting in person doesn’t mean it won’t make a difference, it might even make more of a difference because you are using social media platforms in order to reach a larger audience. Like in the article by Pinon “People connect through stories. If you don’t have the opportunity to go and knock on people’s doors, you need to strategically communicate on the platforms available to you” (Pinon, 2019). To reach out to others, social media platforms are a great way to do so because the internet can reach every person who has a cell phone, or computer. Some digital tools people may use when using social media platforms may be things like hashtags, tagging profiles and/or people, and even using photos and live feeds as a way of getting to a wider public to make a difference.
A case example of online activism that I interact with and follow frequently is Crime Junkie Podcast. They aren’t people who are promoting change in climate, they are advocating for victims’ rights and rights of victims’ families whose voices and stories aren’t told. They aren’t hugely known but they are doing their part of making people aware of victim’s stories and the rights that they deserve. They started doing it for themselves and now they are growing on Podcasts (you can also listen to them on Spotify) where they tell the stories of victims and are also on Instagram and Facebook. Ashley and Brit also talk a lot about in their podcasts of how to protect yourself and how to stay vigilant and even making an “if I go missing file”. They also have a saying “Be weird. Be rude. Stay alive” which makes them stand out and promote their activism of being vigilant. Lastly, in their podcasts and on their website, they talk about the organizations they advocate for, which a couple of them are Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana, and Homicide Survivors.
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