How Should Journalists Cover Online Social Movements?
The internet has become a breeding ground for multiple ideologies, especially since ideology can now be spread over long distances almost instantaneously. This has resulted in both left-wing and right-wing shifts on the political stage in the recent past. Some of the more sinister online movements, like QAnon, have contributed directly to large scale conflicts in the United States itself.
When approaching and writing about any of these movements, there are a few things to consider.
INFORMATION TRAVELS IN SECONDS. SO DOES MISINFORMATION
It is not uncommon for there to be a wealth of misinformation tied to a popular online movement, such as #BlackLivesMatter, or #MeToo. Determining the bias of where you are getting your information from is essential. With the wealth of social media available, it can be difficult to know where to start. Official organizations related to those movements, if available, will contain the mission statement of the movement in official terms, contact information to get in touch with someone at the organization, and frequently asked questions.
YOUR OWN AUDIENCE NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO DIGEST THE MOVEMENT, WHETHER OR NOT THEY AGREE WITH IT.
The first step here is understanding your intended audience. Continuing on the thread of #BlackLivesMatter, there are several related hashtags that contain similar content but with a different focus. For example, #DefundThePolice. The specifics of #DefundThePolice are important, as the hashtag itself is used often by right-wingers as a panic button. Any audience will have an easier time understanding complex movements by being introduced to the details contained within the hashtag.
FACT CHECK POPULAR POSTS
The 21st Century has a fascination with sharing information in tweets and memes, and though these can be useful for starting a deep dive on a topic, they are not always factual. Some organizations, like Black Lives Matter, have forms where you can report disinformation. Also, be wary of accounts that post in irregular patterns or from odd time zones, as plenty of disinformation comes from organized efforts abroad.
COMPLETE CONTEXT IS NECESSARY
#BlackLivesMatter trended for months after George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis. Most Americans will remember that period in relation to the movement, but in reality, Black Lives Matter was founded in 2013 in response to the murder of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman. Zimmerman was acquitted by a majority-white jury of second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter. The movement again surfaced in response to the 2014 murders of Michael Brown, Jr. by police in St. Louis, Missouri, and of Eric Garner by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) in New York City. Both defendants were acquitted.
COVER SOURCES OF REPRESSION
There are 12 types of overt and covert repression taking place online both by governmental actors and civilian actors. Not every type of repression is applicable to every nation, as explained in this table on page 6 of this Science Advances Review study. Private actors, say TikTok, can overtly repress the spread of information by deplatforming movement actors. They can also covertly repress the information by shadowbanning or de-listing the actor, or even shadowbanning or de-listing a hashtag. Government actors can also covertly repress information by posting distracting information from burner accounts, or overtly do it by posting it from their own.
