How teens have strengthened and weakened #BlackLivesMatter, explained in a minute

Some are doing it right, others are doing it wrong. Here are the two sides of the teens and #BlackLivesMatter case. 

Written by: Aaron Zhao

1. How teens have strengthened #BlackLivesMatter (and vice versa)

Teenagers made up a great proportion of this year’s #BlackLivesMatter supporters. With social media as their primary method of advocating, there has been a continuous sharing of information and awareness for victims around the continent. Without these teens and their benevolent hearts, many of us would never have been exposed to new facets of reality. Social media is certainly more than just an image-sharing, group-chatting platform, and teens have proven it.

By spreading awareness in mass, more and more people are starting to realize the problem is not merely just police brutality. It’s a complex mixture of dozens of problems, like discrimination, bias in employment, and the wealth gap.

Vice versa, #BlackLivesMatter has also helped teens. This is the first exposure to the political world for many. This may be the first time some have ever advocated for a cause!

Teens and #BlackLivesMatter have a mutual relationship, working together side by side to help spread its cause. Truly amazing.

2. How teens have weakened the movement (accidentally)

The problem here is that teens have also inadvertently degraded the true meaning of this movement as they continue to share information. One thing that social media and mass-sharing is capable of doing in the political world is softening” the actual impact of a message/movement. Sharing too many posts on a large scale can lead to a political movement gradually becoming more “trendy” than “meaningful”. This causes it to become short-lived.

In addition, “hash-tagging” has also created a problem. Remember when all your friends posted black squares? Well, guess what…? Instead of seeing inspirational videos and images when you search up certain tags, they are now filled with black squares (This was before people realized and started changing their hashtags).

Remember, you are not limited to just using social media as your only source of advocating. Take other routes to help #BlackLivesMatter, like signing petitions, hosting discussion groups, creating banners and posters, and most importantly, educating yourself on the history of racism and the current #BLM situation.

But I must say from an ultimate point of view, teens have done more good than harm, FOR SURE. These young people around the globe have shown their inner warrior to fight for their fellow human beings, and that is the kind of inspiration we need the most right now.

Thank you, teens.