ABSTRACT
Digital activism is an effective way of garnering extensive support for specific causes. A spontaneous tweet, a blog post, or a short video clip posted by an individual on social media can start a cascade of responses that grow into a powerful campaign in no time. In the early years, social media forums primarily reflected opinions of the English-speaking, urban middle class. The birth of hashtag activism can be traced to the Occupy Wall Street protests in the United States in 2011. The protests started on September 17, 2011, in Liberty Square in Manhattan’s financial district and soon spread to other cities in the United States. An Internet meme usually comprises an image or clip embedded with text or audio that draws attention to human behavior in a humorous way. Digital activism has helped make socially shunned issues visible by catapulting them into public spaces where everyone can share their experiences.
