The greatest feature in social media could be its tremendous ability to break through the two lasting barriers of time and place. The prompt and interactive news delivery along with the sense of presence through live video broadcasts and snapshots makes it the perfect medium suited for addressing targeted audiences.
With the escalating numbers of social media users in Saudi Arabia, where it is estimated that more than 14 million people are connected to the Internet and using a form of social media tool, such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Therefore, it is not unlikely to see many social activists using these voluble communication tools.
The most interesting activity last week, was the boycott campaign called by one of the most influential Saudis on Twitter Mohammed Al-arifi, who asked his many followers to stop watching a very popular children’s TV channel, and urged them to refrain from buying products of companies advertising in the channel. This tweet and others like it sparked many hashtags and heated discussions.
Another social activist was detained and is under investigation after he was reported for blaspheming on Twitter. Turki Al-Hamad, a renowned writer, political activist and analyst, published a series of posts on his Twitter account criticizing the growing influence of Islamic fundamentalism and the urgent need for renovation in their line of thinking. However, the way in which he wrote those tweets, created a huge misunderstanding. Hundreds of tweeps got involved in discussions for or against his detention.
My personal favorite was when a couple of weeks ago a group of Saudi students boycotted their school cafeteria. They were protesting on what they considered poor service and hygiene by the school’s cafeteria, and the negligence of the school administration of their needs.
It is clear that social activism is taking a new direction. Using the efficient and dynamic social media tools is capturing the attention and imagination of activists in areas such as human rights, social reform, employment and charity work. We expect to witness even more of their active presence in the foreseeable future.
Maybe it is a good idea for people to be more involved as activists in worthy causes they care about, and many are indeed doing so. However, for me, after witnessing all the foul insults and bad language associated with social media activists’ campaigns, I’m calling for blocking all users of hate language.
A Tweet: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
— Howard Thurman
@ mmalsaif
