For this weeks post about online activism I would like to stick with the topic of the Oscars So White hashtag. This hashtag became popular this year when the nominations for the Academy Awards were released. The Oscars so White hashtag has allowed people to become online activists regarding this touchy subject.
As I discussed in last weeks post, #OscarsSoWhite became a big deal after people on Twitter started to use it to backlash the Academy Awards for their lack of diversity in nominations. Many A-list celebrities decided to boycott the event and even posted Youtube videos explaining why.
Online activism has become an important aspect of different social justice and multicultural issues because of the shear reach potential that it has. Twitter hashtags have the opportunity to go viral and reach millions of people, which is a great way to get the word out about the issues.
#OscarsSoWhite is a great example of online activism about a social justice issue. Because of the outcry on social media with this hashtag, the Academy did some serious back stepping. They hired Chris Rock to be the host and release multiple statements regarding the lack of diversity in the nominations,
This is an example of how online activism can work and make a real difference in society. This is important to know, because it allows "normal", everyday people to make a difference by just posting on social media. It is important to know that we can make our voices be heard about issues that matter to us.
