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March for our lives (2018)
The March for our lives campaign was started in 2018 by students in Parkland, Florida just days after the Parkland High School shooting and is still an active campaign today. The campaign's goals are to raise awareness for and support gun control legislation. The movement gained major traction on social media primarily through the Twitter platform by using the hashtag #MarchForOurLives and were able to amass over 1.3 million followers in just a few months. -
Yellow Vests Protests (2018)
The Yellow Vest protests started in France in 2018 and continues to this day. They are a movement against rising fuel prices and income inequality. Facebook and Twitter played a big role in organizing and spreading information about the protests. Activists used hashtags and online platforms as tactics to coordinate demonstrations, share videos of police misconduct, and express their grievances, leading to a disruption and prompting discussions on socioeconomic disparities. -
Anti-Racism Protests (2020)
Following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, social media played a disruptive role in organizing and amplifying the Black Lives Matter protests. The organization already existed, but was largely amplified by this social media campaign. People used Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok to educate others about systemic racism, organize protests and mobilize support. The protests sparked crucial conversations about racial inequality, police brutality, and prompted calls for justice and police reform. -
COVID-19 Misinformation (2020)
During the COVID-19 pandemic we saw an increase in the spread of new information, misinformation, and conspiracy theories through social media. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube were used by people to post videos, comments, and tweets to share their view about the virus. Because of this disruption and the resulting confusion and contention, social media companies have increased efforts to monitor for misinformation on their sites. -
GameStop Stock Surge (2021)
In January 2021 a group of individual investors on Reddit's WallStreetBets subreddit coordinating a buying spree of GameStop shares because they "liked the stock". This drove up the stock price and caused significant losses for hedge funds that had shorted the stock. The primary social media platform used was Reddit and the organizers used the forum to organize and encourage people to buy the stock to raise the price. The subreddit was also often shared on twitter.