Your voice matters more than ever—use it!
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Social Media
You’re probably already sharing hashtags and memes galore on your social networks and changing the images in your profile pics, depending on the month. But let’s dig deeper together. How did social media become such a force in activism? How can you use it most effectively to promote social justice, civil rights and human rights? And how is it changing the way we document injustice as well as our collective reaction to it? Read on!
3 Quick Tips
01.
Follow the leaders. One of the best ways to spread the word is to repost, share, and like impactful social media from orgs and leaders focused on justice.
02.
Build your audience. Want to reach the right people with your messages? Follow them and share their messages and they’ll likely follow you back. Don't be shy about DMs to connect further!
03.
Think outside the (app) box. You had a social network long before you joined all those channels. Make your voice heard within your real-world social circles, too.
A Guide to Activism in the Digital Age
This post looks at key moments in social media activism (including the Arab Spring, BLM, #MeToo, Occupy Wall Street, and others) to identify common use cases and tips to promote activism and further social justice measures on your social media channels.
Blog Post, Maryville University
Free
Civil Rights Movement Social Media Posts Activity
Kids are now born digital, and this fun 52-page set of downloadable activities for grades 4–7 invites students to imagine how a variety of civil rights leaders might have used social media by creating posts from the POV of these historical figures.
Slides, Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT)
$
How Social Media is Changing the Face of Human Rights Activism
A look at how social media helps activists connect, spread the word, and drive global action. Author Zara Baig: “Ultimately, social media’s unwavering presence in the modern world has contemporised human rights activism and granted it unparalleled access.”
Blog Post, Human Rights Pulse
Free
Human Rights Investigations Lab
Launched in 2016 by Berkeley’s Law School, the Lab now has 75+ students fluent in 30 languages scouring global digital and social media for photos, videos, and posts to document human rights violations, judicial actions, and activist movements.
Website, UC Berkeley Law Human Rights Center
Free
Digital Lockers: Archiving Social Media Evidence of Atrocity Crimes
UC Berkeley’s Human Rights Investigations Lab founder Alexa Koenig and her colleagues offer guidance on using digital lockers to preserve social media photos, videos, and posts as proof of atrocities before these assets are removed by platforms.
Blog Post, UC Berkeley Law Human Rights Center
Free
Social media is an important outlet for Black Americans
This 2020 post surveys research about how Black justice movements have increasingly leveraged social media for organizing and activism, including through Black Twitter and the birth and expansion of the BLM movement.
Blog Post, Pew Research Center
Free
Using Social Media for Digital Advocacy
Learn best practices and tips for using social media for the greater good. Along with a lengthy how-to guide, this toolbox has a checklist, examples of posts from real orgs, and a slide deck recapping key information for easier review and sharing for greater good.
Toolkit, Community Toolbox
Free
Use Your Social Network as a Tool for Social Justice
The original social network still exists, and you don’t need Facebook, X, or TikTok to tap into it: It’s your every day, IRL connections. This HBR article from 2020 (as the George Floyd / BLM protests were heating up) shares how to use your real-world social network to make a difference.
Article, Harvard Business Review
1 free article access, then subscription