Why social media is so powerful for political activism

00:00:00 Using the social networking service Tik-Tok,

Fans of K-pop music disrupted sign-ups

for President Trump’s June rally in Tulsa.

They also tricked social media algorithms to

slow the spread of anti-Black Lives Matter hashtags.

These examples illustrate how powerful social media has

become in digital activism,

says Michigan State associate professor

Anjana Susarla.

First, social media gives an opinion-making role

to a few influencers with large followings.

Secondly, people tend to engage with

like-minded people on social media,

a phenomenon known as 'homophily.'

Together, these mechanisms enable a video

or a tweet to go viral,

creating a situation that’s impossible

for the targeted companies or individuals to ignore.

K-pop fans may have also flooded the Trump campaign

with bad data,

which could interfere with their voter turnout models

and targeted online advertisements.

The success of the TikTok teens’ campaign

also shows how it’s relatively easy for a group,

including foreign actors,

to interfere in the political process

by using social media.