Twitter
The social network twitter has been a global phenomenon, while the messages transmitted through the network are limited by their use of characters, they can spread a vast amount of information by being retweeted by other users. Hashtags on twitter are a great way to have your opinion read and retweeted by those with similar opinions.
Islamophobic hashtags like: #EDL and #MyJihad link Islamophobic twitter accounts to one another. Due to the nature of the website, those seeking to perpetuate Islamophobia can also tweet to twitter accounts that try to advocate for violence. Figures like Tommy Robinson of the English Defense League, and Pamela Geller also use twitter to continue their perpetuation of hatred.
Islamophobic hashtags like: #EDL and #MyJihad link Islamophobic twitter accounts to one another. Due to the nature of the website, those seeking to perpetuate Islamophobia can also tweet to twitter accounts that try to advocate for violence. Figures like Tommy Robinson of the English Defense League, and Pamela Geller also use twitter to continue their perpetuation of hatred.
A Voice For The Unheard
Edward Said believes that one of the key features of Orientalism is the inability for the subject to speak for themselves. Social media, like twitter, is a tool, and as a tool can be utilized by many different group, all wanting their voices to be heard. Groups, like Muslims, can also use this tool to fight against racism and oppression.
The hashtag, "#MuslimRage" became incredibly popular on twitter after the film The Innocence of Muslims was released. In this NPR article, it describes how the reaction from some in the Muslim community used this hashtag to communicate comically with one another. By taking over this hashtag and defining it's meaning for themselves, they do not allow it to be utilized by those who want to propagate the message that all Muslims are full of hatred.
Social media can give agency back to those who have been traditionally marginalized. It offers a new realm for humans to communicate, and while it can be used to spread hatred, it can also help humans to gain a better understanding of Islam from the words of the people who follow it.
The hashtag, "#MuslimRage" became incredibly popular on twitter after the film The Innocence of Muslims was released. In this NPR article, it describes how the reaction from some in the Muslim community used this hashtag to communicate comically with one another. By taking over this hashtag and defining it's meaning for themselves, they do not allow it to be utilized by those who want to propagate the message that all Muslims are full of hatred.
Social media can give agency back to those who have been traditionally marginalized. It offers a new realm for humans to communicate, and while it can be used to spread hatred, it can also help humans to gain a better understanding of Islam from the words of the people who follow it.