Does social media activism have any impact on real issues? (Social media is the 21st century demonstration)

We are in the era of an emerging social class, one that doesn’t have the time to hit the streets and shout about something until it’s changed. For very long, issues that rubbed society the wrong way were settled by demonstrations on the streets with people holding banners and posts stating their issues. Who in this day and age will leave work to go join a demonstration against an injustice? To be honest, the only people who still carry out such demonstrations must be seriously idle. No one with a proper job has that time to waste. But social media gives you this freedom. With social media platforms like twitter, numerous people are able to join a cause without coming off as ‘idle’. Tweets with Hash tags like #BringBackOurGirls have driven governments to act a lot faster than they normally would have after their citizens (and sympathisers) continuously post the issue on twitter. When we are evaluating impact, we should also put in thought the person who isn’t necessarily in the situation but directly involved, for example, the families of the missing persons on the Malaysian plane. Seeing posts from all over the world gives them comfort and they feel supported and not alone. Hash tag activism is a new phenomenon that sprouts change real fast. It can be a brilliant way to bring a campaign to people’s attention, but presumably those using the hash tag want to do more than just spread awareness - they want substantial change. The value of content on social media is so powerful that it can even get people like Michelle Obama and David Cameron to hold up a slogan and pull a concerned face just to see change. People today use a hash tag because they don’t have the power that these leaders have. This way, they persuade influential people to act. Politicians obviously want votes so to get that, they have to know what people care about today. And what better way to do that than look through their social media updates? France’s president offered to host a summit on Boko Haram. Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan is now willing to accept Western help, and hash tag activism has gone a long way into pressuring him into that decision.