When Hashtags Lose Steam
It’s been two years. TWO. YEARS. Think about how many experiences you’ve had. How many people you’ve met. How many things you’ve accomplished in the two years years since the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls erupted across the world, spurring on the attention of celebrities with millions of followers and social media newbies alike. The world was engulfed in a social media wildfire and people were tweeting that shit out with a vengeance.
And when this happens, it’s wonderful. We come together in moments of beautiful humanity to talk about things that matter. We tell the digital-world to stop spinning and it does. We create hashtags that go viral and we wield an angry digital fist that says, “We care, world. And we need everyone to know this is happening.”
But then it stops. Seemingly overnight. And the digital world continues to spin.
So, why—why do we do this? Is it the feeling that ensues from coming together around a politically charged topic or humanitarian crisis? Is it because it’s an emotional entry point that allows us all to feel together, cohesive and whole? There are terrific highs in the digital world, and depressing lows, but at the end of the day, a viral hashtag’s trend chart starts to look terrifyingly similar to the NASDAQ in 2008.
The internet is a powerful place. There’s no denying that.
But what happens when the hashtag loses steam? When the rally cries are reduced to a feeble whisper? When the internet community pivots violently and another hashtag goes viral? What about awareness? What about action behind the words we tweet? Is social media depreciating the value of our words when we casually and flippantly retweet things because it’s what 200 million other people are talking about?
Social media is a powerful platform for telling your story to the world and for getting people to listen and to engage. But it’s easy to lose sight of impact when people are so consumed with the idea of quick wins. What about building communities, continuing conversations and creating awareness and engagement to better the bigger picture? We hold this power that enables us to challenge politics, to communicate information instantly and to make a difference, and yet we cease and desist so easily. Why? Because people get tired? Because people lose interest? Do the impassioned tweets somebody sent last week suddenly not matter anymore? Wake the fuck up, people, and give more than one damn. Give many damns.
Two years ago, Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls in Nigeria. Many managed to escape, but 218 remain captive. And that hashtag will re-emerge because one girl was found yesterday morning. One girl out of 218, and she did it without any help from social media or us. But people will remember and they’ll tweet about it. They’ll pound their chests and throw shade on the Nigerian government. And they’ll feel good about it. Their tweets will have added to the collective whole and they will have made a small difference that day. But what will happen tomorrow? What will happen next week? Will a hashtag really bring back our girls? Probably not.
The better questions: How can we move beyond hashtags and actually make a difference? How can we translate social media conversations into responsible social change?