How Social Media Websites Are Social Liberation

Social Media Tools and Social Liberation

Social media is a term that is commonly used to refer to a group of Internet-based tools and applications that are developed to enable the creation and exchange of content generated by users. These applications and tools take different forms including blogs, different online forums, social networks, and weblogs. The most common form of social media that has become prevalent in the recent past is social networks as reflected in the development and increased use of online sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Together with other social media platforms, Facebook has played a crucial role in social liberation instead of a return to individualism. The role of social media in social liberation is attributable to the significance of these applications and tools in modern communications.

Link between Technology and the Society

The modern society has been characterized by rapid technological advancements that have revolutionized communications. One of the major ways through which these advancements have transformed communications is through development and emergence of social media. Technology and the society has become significantly linked to an extent that it is difficult to understand or represent society without technological tools and platforms. These technological tools that are used to understand or represent society promote interactions between users while providing them with information (Storck, 2011).

Together with other social media platforms, Facebook has become a revolutionary and transformational invention that is crucial in the modern social fabric. Facebook was developed and introduced in 2004 as a social networking platform that was exclusive for interactions between Harvard students. This platform was introduced as a social utility that would enable students to communicate more effectively with their peers and family. However, the website grew beyond its initial target of Harvard students to include other people. Actually, Facebook and other social networking sites have become part of the lives of millions of people, which demonstrates the significant connection between technology and the society.

How Facebook and Other Social Media Tools Are Social Liberation

Social liberation can basically be described as all initiatives towards enforcing real and long-term change in social systems that limit people's lives through systemic and organizational oppression. In this case, social liberation is not short-term or changed with changes in circumstances but real and long-lasting. Throughout the history of mankind, there have been several efforts towards social liberation depending on the systemic and institutional oppression within the society from time to time. Social media tools are social liberation since they deal with systemic and institutional restrictions relating to communications and interactions between people in different parts of the world. Generally, social media removes structural and geographical restrictions associated with communications by promoting instant and timely interactions between people regardless of their geographical locations. In addition to eliminating these limitations and restrictions relating to communications, social media tools can be regarded as social liberation in other ways including

Acting as Organizational Infrastructure

The other major way through which social media tools are social liberation is their role as strong organizational tools. Social media networking sites have been used as efficient form of organizational infrastructure that is crucial towards development of networks and movements towards the establishment of common goals and objectives. For instance, during the recent Egypt uprising, social media tools like Facebook were core to the acceleration of incidents since they provided a form of organizational infrastructure (Storck, 2011). In this case, these tools provide strong communication capabilities characterized by increased speed in the transfer and spread of information. Through these tools, like-minded individuals connect over a common interest and transfer and spread information in different places and to different people instantly, which results in organized decision-making and actions. With regards to organizational infrastructure, social media tools eliminate the need for direct action and mobilization by the leadership since the transfer of information is self-reinforcing among users with common goals. This is significantly different from the traditional communication platforms that required direct organization and action by leadership to develop organizational infrastructure.

Empowerment and freedom

Social media tools are social liberation because they are empowerment and freedom platforms. This is primarily because Facebook and other social media tools provide freedom for open and honest communication (Omidyar, 2014). Open and honest communication brought by social media tools like Facebook cannot be taken for granted because in places where conventional media is a platform of control, there is no power and freedom to generate significant societal change. Social media tools are social liberation towards empowerment and freedom because they enable self-expression and encourage mutual understanding. This is reflected in rapid development of networks and demonstrations of common aspects of humanity despite cultural and geographical differences. Empowerment and freedom are important aspects of social liberation that are demonstrated through Facebook and other social media tools by connecting people and their values and ideas.

Creation of Awareness

Facebook and other social media tools are social liberation instead of return to individualism because they play a crucial role in creating awareness of social issues and incidents across the globe. Through these platforms, individuals are increasingly aware of the various issues taking place in different sectors across the world. Social media's power in creating awareness is attributable to the rapid communication that takes place in these websites across geographical and cultural boundaries. For example, during the Egypt Uprising, most Facebook users reported that this platform was utilized effectively to generate awareness regarding the causes of the movements taking place within the country (Storck, 2011). Facebook groups and other groups in the other social networking sites are created to raise awareness of the specific social issues, which become the basis for empowerment and mobilization.