Hashtags gone wrong
- By Ala Oueslati from Tunisia
- 22 juin 2015
- 3 min de lecture
We develop ideas, express opinions and react very differently as we perceive information given by the media, our peers, or enforced by our societies. What’s even more incredible is that these ideas can, in fact, shape our personalities, determine our values, encourage us to produce more misconceptions and judge everything around us.
#BringBackOurGirls is a slogan that has been in circulation for over a year by activists, bloggers and online communities all over the world. This was a viral reaction to the abduction of almost three hundred girls in April 2014 by the Nigerian group Boko Haram. International leaders have also raised the sign such as the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, and the United Nations Women’s Special Envoy Emma Watson, which helped further the awareness campaign.
#147notjustanumber is another slogan that followed the fatal attack of one hundred and forty-seven students at Garissa University in Nairobi, Kenya. These students were killed by the terrorist group, Al-Shabab, because of their religion. This sad event followed a similar pattern, and international leaders and internet users used the hashtag on their social media.
In April 2015 alone, over 800 refugees have died so far in the Mediterranean sea in an attempt to reach Europe. Many of these victims were Eritreans, Somalis, Malians etc., who risked their lives fleeing war, instability and poverty in their home countries; to date, there is no hashtag for these shipwrecks.
These events, which have claimed thousands of African lives, have captured the attention of the world and shown the plight that is faced by this continent on a daily basis. It is interesting, however, that only those events that concern African violence on African lives have been deemed “worthy” of a viral Internet sensation by Western audiences, to the point where you can get a t-shirt emblazoned with these hashtags.
When the event is linked to escaping this violence, to seek refuge against impossible odds in a continent where freedom of movement of people is an inalienable right, there is no hashtag. In fact, there is generally very little support; many Europeans have even expressed relief and gratitude over the unsuccessful journey of these African migrants towards their homes.
These examples show that world issues are just trends. They depend on the place, the time and the people involved. Most of us have never created hashtags that lasted and became viral. We find them, we spread them, we expand the ideas behind them. We “like” them, but do we actually like them? There is a desire in this world to show people that we care about current events, but where is the drive to act upon these concerns? Why do our reactions depend on the victims involved, their color, their nationalities, and the severity of their stories?
We know that #BlackLivesMatter, but is there such a thing as a life that doesn’t matter? Do lives even have colors? It is astonishing to witness the categorization of lives in 2015 where all people are equal, but some are more equal than others. It is even astounding to find myself being reminded that black lives matter almost 200 years since the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire and 150 years in the United States. It is true that such horrific events provoke justifiable anger and outrage, but this temporary display of awareness by millions is no match for the permanent actions of thousands, nor is it a true reflection of people’s beliefs, values and concerns. Unfortunately, these events are becoming more of trends than global issues for the vast majority of Internet users.
Black people are not exceptions. Their color says nothing about the value of their lives, the extent of their potential, or the way they should be seen, judged and treated. There are no exceptions to the lives that matter, because all lives do. Humanity is the only norm and it is when we start categorizing people, world issues, and lives that this norm becomes a series of exceptions - unrelated, unreliable and untruthful.
