Five Ways Communication Supports Big Protests

Social media and other forms of communication have played an important role in recent protests around the world. Tools such as Twitter and Facebook make it easier to spread the word about protests and let people know how to get involved, making them very valuable to the people who want to spread awareness about social issues. These are just five of the ways communication makes organizing protests easier and makes it possible to let thousands of people know about upcoming events.

1. Communication tools make organizing protests much easier for everyone involved. In the past, protest organizers had to call people on the telephone or go door to door through large neighborhoods to let people know about issues. Today's communication tools make it possible to let hundreds of people know about upcoming protests with just a few keystrokes and mouse clicks.
    
2. The same communication tools also make it easier to show people why they should get involved in big protests. Protesters sharing videos and photos of demonstrations can increase awareness of social issues and make it more likely other people will want to get involved.
    
3. Text messages, tweets, and Facebook posts have also influenced several major political shifts around the world. In 2001, the Philippine Congress voted to toss out some of the evidence that had been gathered in the months leading up to the impeachment trial of the country's president. Angry citizens sent more than seven million messages that week, many of them encouraging people to dress in black and gather at a major crossroads. Their ability to coordinate such a large protest in such a short amount of time frightened lawmakers and forced them to reverse the decision to exclude evidence. The impeached president, Joseph Estrada, blamed the text-messaging campaign for his downfall.
    
4. Another way communication tools support big protests is by making it easier for activists to identify threats to their campaigns. The United Students Against Sweatshop organization recently filed a lawsuit to stop Washington DC police from spying on group activities after finding out an undercover officer had infiltrated the group. They identified the undercover officer by using posts she made on Twitter and photos she posted to Instagram.
    
5. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other tools also make it possible to spread awareness of issues many people do not know about. One example is the Facebook page created after police officers beat an Egyptian man to death because he had evidence of police corruption in Egypt. Members used the group to raise awareness of the corruption, which was one of the reasons so many people joined together to force the resignation of Hosni Mubarek.

It is clear social media and other communication tools have had a positive impact on protests around the world. As technology continues to involve, organizers will likely have more tools at their disposal to organize protests and spread the word about important causes. Keep up with advancements in the field to truly understand how communication influences social and political change.

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