Change #Ukraine

I cannot express the happiness I feel when I hear that our government is taking action. Our population has called attention to the crisis in Ukraine and we are being answered,

READ: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ukraine-crisis-stephen-harper-blames-russian-provocateurs-for-escalation-1.2609504

Russia's a bully #ukraine

It appears the Russia is trying to pro Ukrainian block social media... then claiming that it's because they are organizing terrorist attacks? Yeah right Russia we all see right through you

Read: http://mashable.com/2014/03/03/russia-ukraine-internet/

I just got tweeted back by Vladimir Putin...#ukraine

So as I have been involving myself on the twittersphere, I happened to tweet at the official Vladimir Putin account and as well @Darthputinkgb, which is the infamous joke account. Low and behold I have been responded to by the joke account:

I think its safe to say that I appreciate my answer.

Orthodox Easter #ukraine

I myself am of Ukrainian heritage as both of my grandparents emigrated from Ukraine. Next weekend is Ukrainian Orthodox easter and I would like to take a moment to recognize the importance religion has in the Ukrainian culture. 50% of the Ukrainian population is orthodox and in a time so focused on the many horrors of a revolution, I hope they have the ability to take a break from the fighting and take time to focus on their faith. I will be thinking and praying of situation in Ukraine and hope that they may find peace, if only momentarily.

#ukraine @DathPutinKGB

Although the crisis currently occurring in Ukraine is nothing to laugh about.... I think it's important to check out the more humorous side of things,

check out: https://twitter.com/DarthPutinKGB

#ukraine #euromaiden #ukrainolution

The ignorance that we all posses appears insurmountable. How is it possible that I just met someone today who had no idea of the events occurring in Ukraine? No idea that the country is in shambles, no idea that they have been invaded by former Soviet leader Vladimir Putin? You are only as ignorant as you allow ourself to be. The world isn't all about online quizzes from Huffington post and the new purple lipstick trend.

READ: http://goo.gl/kA5W58

Where does our sense of self lie? BR #10

Technology is a powerful tool. With the right codes and the the right knowledge, one has the ability to reach millions of people regardless of their physical location. This power however, has its limitations. Social media seems to be somewhat of a trap. Everyone on Facebook, everyone on Twitter and everyone on any form of digital media has an ability. They have the ability to learn and to inspire, but who really does this? Social media has caught us in the trap of comfortable living. It’s easy to scroll through Facebook and feel a sense of belonging in an online community. It’s easy to like a post of a small African child starving and hope that your pitiful excuse for action can make any sort of change in this world. My point being that the use of digital media has become so normalized into our lives that none questions this attachment that we have all formed with an inanimate object. I challenge that we question this. Question the reason we jump onto Facebook to alleviate our apparent boredom. Question the time wasted reading meaningless phrases 140 characters or less. To what point is there to constantly updating people on you meals and how you’re now on a #veganclense?

Unfortunately this development in our communication styles seems to have formed such a strong bond within our lives, resistance appears futile. How then do we collectively use this precarious forum to actually make a difference. Is it even possible to make a difference? The action in itself of recognizing our attachment to this medium is a very necessary step. Acknowledging that we are so incredibly able to utilize our devices reminds us that we should.

Many organizations use ICTs in a way that is beneficial, the overall success dependant on the inclusion of external action. When thinking about the war in Ukraine right now, without social media the awareness would be dismal. So through the creation of awareness, the agenda of the masses become the agenda of the governing power. Had there not been an awareness our governments are less likely to take any sort of corrective action. 

Even with all of this possibility for awareness, those organizations or movements with the greatest knowledge of digital platforms are often most successful. This may in turn silence groups that may have a greater need for aid. The final presentations for this class alerted me to a plethora of causes and ethical dilemmas I had previously never been aware of. Which raises another concern, with the technology available, are we all bound by the law of due diligence?

I myself am questioning why I rely so heavily on the use of these ICTs. How can I justify being exposed to so many injustices without taking any corrective action. I consider myself a good person, but how can a good person allow such terrible things to occur worldwide without helping? My generation is so tightly wound around technologies finger that I fear we would lose our sense of self without it. 

BR #9

Idle No More is fundamentally dependant on social media. We see the evolution of community involvement when you compare something like the London Riots in 2011 who utilized Blackberry messenger as their primary medium of communication to he Idle No More movement. This form of communication (BBM) may have been secure but it was far from inclusionary. This digital divide through access to the communication method was revised as we see the Idle No More campaign not restricting any involvement based on financial standpoint or regional boundaries. Social media includes people who are on any interactive forum including Facebook and Twitter. The majority of the people involved in this movement were in areas that had easily accessible internet connection and because all of this social media is free, the communication is increasingly efficient. 

Arab Spring movements appear to have a greater obstacle when it comes to the involvement of the government. When the people in charge of the well being of an entire country deny the public transparency within their operations, there becomes a bigger problem. First off the government did not allow people to become involved in decision making, secondly they prevented them to voice their concerns. Not only has the government presented a digital divide, but they have restricted digital access all together. Removing the means of communication between a population is a violation of rights and makes it extremely difficult to spread updates and information on the social movement. Facebook had been the primary method of communication in Egypt and once that was denied to them, they were lucky enough to have already largely spread the word. If the use of the internet and phone lines were removed prior to he original protests on their police recognition day there would not have been enough awareness on the movement and there would not have been any major impact on the population. 

There appears to have been a potential digital divide within the Arab Spring movements which the Idle No More does not have to worry about. Gender equality within the Aboriginal community is a strong cultural aspect but for those in the middle east, has been a topic of controversy. Those living in the middle east have not always thought in a manner that promotes gender equality. However, in the videos shown in class it appears that there are women involved but not to the extent that there could be. The vast majority of people running April 6th were men and from a view of the streets it also looked as if the majority protesting were men. If there were complete equality then there would be more women involved in the social movement. This is likely also apparent on a digital front. Luckily access to interactive social media sites are not restrictive of gender or sexual orientation. 

What seems amazing is the bond through religion created in Egypt between the police and the protestors. Regardless of the war that may be raging in front of them the police respect the protestors right to practice Muslim prayers. 

Hacking for freedom BR #8

The power of anonymity is immense and I believe it should be respected. Due to the nature of the internet, if there is ever a need to find a person who is inflicting serious harm onto another, then that can be done. In the case of websites like 4chan, the aim of the forums are to express yourself and an identity isn't necessary. The internet has enabled people to speak freely and express themselves in a way that they may not be able to do in real life. How can you punish people and force them to produce their identity if it has no relevance to their posts or comments. 

The fact that the government has now implemented a law preventing people from wearing masks when protesting is outrageous. With this restriction in real life, where else are people to turn but the internet. This law is an example of the government flexing their muscles onto a population simply looking for some freedom of speech. Anonymous is a necessary tool to remind and consistently challenge the government. Ultimately it is us the masses that elect them and it is us the masses that have the power. We may not have the ability to protest openly in the streets in the way we want, but there are other ways to make an impact, and online is the perfect platform. The documentary screened in class is a perfect example of the challenging relationship between those seeking to express themselves and the rule of law implemented by those more powerful in society. All of the stories documented present people who honestly mean no harm, but are people who look to remind the public of the power they have. That being said some anonymous hackers are not using their talents for good, but in the grand scheme of things their the good seems to be overpowering the bad.

I personally don’t have any online presence online that is anonymous. I am completely identified in all aspects because I am not very technically competent. If i were to express myself in a way that my be detrimental in terms of a future career, I would have no way of preventing the content I put out from being traced back to me. Ultimately we live in a free country, but the word free is not necessarily easily defined. Even if the government is not the one monitoring and occasionally charging individuals, it is society itself that prevents free speech. I cannot challenge authority even on a small scale. If I question the ability of a teacher, that teacher will punish me, maybe not directly, but through my marks. Unless we as the whole class review the teacher anonymously then there will be no change, and even then there is rarely a change. My point being that our society is set up in a hierarchal power system, and challenging that model in any way, even in what appears to be minuscule, is dangerous. The creation of Anonymous is extremely important to protect people who look to challenge that model. Especially when they challenge it for the good. 

Be a whistleblower for peace BR #7

It seems outrageous to me that a person posing no physical threat to the US would create such an uprising and would influence a whole countries trade relations to other nations. With the growing importance of transparency due to information technology, corporations are required to be upfront and honest, it would seem obvious that the government should follow suit. Not only in the Wikileaks documentary on Snowden, but also on the video of the shooting in Iraq presented earlier in class, it seems that being truthful would appear a lot less convicting on the part of the government. If only the government were able to openly interact with the public when the public demand information regarding the sharing of personal information, then there would be a lot less distrust. The main separation and frustration occurring between the government and the population is the lack of clarity and honesty. The government must recognize that they are in control of the quality of life of millions, and risking a peaceful relationship with other countries in an attempt to save face is inexcusable. 

Another whistleblower that seems to have paved the way for introducing matters of public security is Russ Tice. In 2005 Tice revealed that NSA and the DIA were engaging in illegal wire taps on American citizens during the reign of George Bush. He was previously employed as an intelligence analyst for the US Air Force, the Office of Naval Intelligence and Defence Intelligence Agency. He is said to be the original whistleblower for NSA. After his involvement with media outlets such as the New York Times, he was ordered by a NSA security officer to report for a “psychological evaluation”. He was then suspended and released which also revoked a previous medal he had earned during the war in Iraq.

Thomas Drake was also a whistleblower for NSA in challenging their Trailblazer Project. Drake was a formed executive of NSA and a veteran of both the United States Air Force and the United States Navy. The Trailblazer project was then being developed to track communication patterns on networks like the internet. Drake believed that this initiative went against Americans constitutional right to privacy and thus made public statements against it. Following his actions he was charged on ten counts of various security breaches and was forced to resign from NSA. Due to the indictment he was forced from his job at Strayer University and resorted to working at Apple. 

I believe in both of these whistle blowing cases they were justified in sharing confidential information. In a democratic society it is necessary that the public be made aware of the actions of their elected government as a right. Regardless of the information shared it is imperative that the government remain transparent with the population. It appears in all four cases of whistleblowing that the government has proved to present such hostility towards those speaking the truth that American citizens should be the ones to get involved. The lengths individuals have to go to in order to present the truth should prove how important these circumstances are to begin with. 

the modern pirate BR #5

Although the documentary provides a chilling realization of the seer ability some people have with technology, I am almost willing to say they may in fact be doing some good for the community. Their hacking forces the companies that are in possession of hundreds of thousands of peoples personal information to increase their security. A company must continually be challenged in order to continually improve. These hackers in particular appear to be not so cynical as to intentionally hurt a person using their personal information, then I think their hacking seems somewhat harmless. 

The problem with hackers is you have no idea who they could be. The anonymity associated with those who are protected through not only a physical screen but a convoluted encrypted code adds such uncertainty which thus results in fear. I have little to no ability when it comes to technological skill and my reliance is on social media and the ability to navigate simple websites. Due to the relatively recent introduction of internet technology, there is still so much to be discovered, and there are still so many people unaware of the extent to which the internet can be manipulated. This uncertainty leads to a general unease with will resinate with the majority of the population. The media plays off this and thus produces a sort of villain out of hackers. When I picture the depiction of these villains I imagine a white male that lives in his parents basement, either extremely skinny or very large, with little to no friends. These images may not have any accuracy at all, I doubt a who community of hacker will look the same and it is likely that the majority of them are not in fact caucasian, but of varying race. 

Do we trust the ability of hackers to balance out the good and the harm that may result from their disclosures? 

The term ethical hacker seems entirely contradictory. A hacker is someone who invades the privacy of someone else. If this individual claims to be ethical they cannot, at the same time, be considered a hacker. That being said, those who are clearly doing something wrong on the internet to began with should have some form of justice system to govern them. It seems a perfect solution to implement a justice system of ethical hackers to protect those who are not computer savvy from being taken advantage of. But who is to say that the ‘ethical’ hackers should be allowed to decide what is ethical and what is not if they themselves seem unethical? 

Are hackers pushing individuals, corporations, and governments to become more virtuous users of the Internet—or are they mostly tearing down what others have built, and ultimately limiting the usefulness of the Internet?

Hackers cannot be so easily categorized into such a generalized category as all bad or all good. There is no ‘mostly’ in terms of hackers and their interactions with individuals, corporations or government. I believe there are hackers that look to make a positive change and there are hackers that look to make a negative change, and more than ever there are those that do not have such a direct focus, and their choices to do good or bad are likely often changing. The anonymity that these people posses allows them to not feel any pressure whatsoever to continue on one path or another, after all, it is likely that none they know with every find out what they do.

Is there any information that should really be kept secret? How do we balance the need for transparency with the need to protect ourselves, for example, from groups who do not believe in transparency and other democratic values?

When it comes to the internet I don’t believe there is anything that can be considered private or secret. The sheer number of loopholes that exist in this form of communication means that one can trust that their information will be protected. There will always be bad people in the world, and the internet is another communication method where people can lie and cheat. The balance between personal security and digital transparency lies between personal shopping and social media stupidity. Social media is a forum to share a carefully selected version of yourself, if you make the choice to put online yourself doing incriminating things or at the very least unprofessional things then it is your fault if that information is leaked or used against you. On the flip side if you are looking to purchase a rare faberge egg that is unavailable in Canada and must be purchased through an online platform your credit card information should be protected. Your financial situation should not be threatened because of greedy hackers, but if you choose to put negative qualitative information about yourself online then there is none else to blame but yourself.

BP #5

The 2011 uprising in London was not so widespread that it reached me or any of my connections across my social media platforms. The riots were in response to the shooting of a young black man in London by police. The young people who responded to this killing communicated mainly through Blackberry Messenger. According to reports around one third of the protesters were using Blackberry devices and the interface was relatively secure when it came to the ability of authorities to access it. Mark Duggan, the victim of this apparent hate crime, was commemorated by the protesters and youth community through a Facebook page that communicated his friends and acquaintances of posting parting messages and updates on the legal standing of the case against the police. The Facebook page does not in fact encourage rioting or violence of any kind, but instead pushes people to use their words to spread awareness and seek justice to prevent the event from occurring again. The social media platform of BBM aided mobilization and action/reaction and the Facebook group spread awareness as it is accessible by the public. Their choice of media interface did prove successful as their mode of communication was cheap, as people already had the device, quick, widespread and secure against authority. In terms of the development of the trial itself, the riots gained media coverage and public attention but I don’t believe it swayed a judge one way or another to discipline the police involved, but then again this inference is based on what I could not find reports on.

This social uprising presents the barrier encountered through communication. Although they were able to use BBM to ensure security, that two thirds of the population that did not own a Blackberry device was excluded from the updates regarding the riots. If the communication method chosen were Facebook then there would be no security but it would reach more people. There are drawbacks to both methods. This uprising brings attention to the abuse of power that apparently remains rampant within authority figures such as police officers. Just because someone holds a position of power does not mean that that power should not be questioned. 

This protest holds a cultural significance in that it proves that the youth community of London does not take abuse and their community is strong enough to fight back. Socially it proves that London teens have the means of communication to come together and switch from conversation in an imagined community to action in the real world. 

Social media has definitely enhanced the advocacy and activism community and I believe that is more important than the occasional dark side of this immediate communication in it’s use for negative purposes. People who use a public forum for communication should know the consequences as the law does extend past verbal and physical violations. A message of intent can be just as powerful as the act itself. Those who choose to use social media and ICT’s need to recognize this and realize there are other modes of communication and other ways to convey an idea to a large group of people. That being said I don’t believe governments should constantly be monitoring media platforms as there needs to be some kind of freedom of speech. It is a tricky line that the government can play between allowing enough privacy and enforcing a safe environment for the general public. Ultimately I believe that if the government could monitor only the most viewed or the groups with the most members because it is them that really have the ability to make an impact on society. This monitoring system should not be to stop marches or protests but to prevent the unnecessary harming of the public. 

Social media is undoubtably a tool for change. Social media is the way people in modern times educate themselves on all topics including movements, charities and advocacy groups. Discounting it as a tool would be like thinking that a shovel is unnecessary for gardening, I mean we have hands right? Without social media, people lose a major communicative network, but what is important to look at is how do we take a step past the social media? The communication between people is only half the battle, then what comes of all the funds raised, and what impact has it had on political or social order. 

One share two shares good shares bad shares BR #4

Social media may have been the best thing to ever happen to the world of advocacy and activism. Regardless of how I may bring forth the problem of inaction that is all so common these days, social media binds people together in such an instantaneous way that any other form of communication falls short. Being able to reach thousands of people with the click of a button has built a global imagined community unrivaled by any other form of communication. Any advocacy group, like Lovebot, can create pages on multiple platforms of social media including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in order to connect with the most people possible. Those persons interested in interacting with Lovebot have the option to do so on any social media interface, and they have pages and people posting about them on all four of the above mentioned websites as well as their own website featuring an interactive map and blog. Community building occurs when a number of people are brought together. Before the internet there was the restriction of location, but in modern times there is only the restriction of access, and with the introduction of internet cafes, that can hardly be considered a barrier. The imagined communities formed on the internet are the enablers of awareness which in turn allows the communication to mobilize, the ability to form reaction in favour of causes, and the collection of donations. Communities among the internet are interconnected through mutual friends and shared message boards, one good message can “go viral” in minutes, from one share to 10 shares to 100, in the web of connections. Youtube has a section for top views which crosses the boundaries set by Facebook through privacy friend groups. Instagram and Twitter are similar to this, where they have trending pages that are public and relatively unrestricted.

In addition to Instagram, Cosmopolitan website and the Onion both provide interactive media platforms that raise awareness about various causes and current movements. Now before you count out Cosmopolitan, yes it’s women's magazine that is not strictly focused on activism, but it has the ability to reach an extremely wide spread community. People that visit Cosmopolitan are not strictly looking to keep up to date on anything more than some good ab exercises or the newest cocktail, but this is precisely why this website is so effective. The people that visit this website do not regularly hear about activism and thus the website has the ability to reach a demographic not normally accessed. Especially due to their popularity, people may be more likely to take the time to read an article about the pro choice rallies in the US. 

Another website that is the Canadian Cancer society. I have a friend that I met on the Brock rugby team and in my first year playing with her I learned she was diagnosed with a brain tumour. She has since raised a considerable amount of money and shown how dedicated she was to our team and worked through the pain associated with such a detrimental illness. She has recently started a fundraiser that raises money for cancer research. Her goal was $1000 and once she reached it she would shave her head (http://convio.cancer.ca/site/TR/Thirdpartyevent/IFE_ON_CommunityPartnerships_?team_id=303178&pg=team&fr_id=15142#.UvES9VvYcaX). She has since

reached her goal and on Wednesday February 5th she will allow the highest bidder to shave her head. The Canadian Cancer society has allowed her a spot on their website to offer a secure donation system and the chance to gain funds from those just visiting the website and not directly associated with her. This website thus fundraises and enables her to spread awareness.

I have chosen to do my essay on the riots of Ukraine so I will use the #ukraine as the common hashtag is in Ukranian and none of my followers speak that language. The common hashtag is #євромайдан and roughly translates into ‘European Square’. This hashtag is used for members of the riots to communicate with one another and to spread word of certain activities occurring in the square. This hashtag is fulfilling community building, awareness, mobilization and action/ reaction. Other commonly used hashtags are #ukrainolution and #euromaiden. Twitter has mobilized celebrities from Ukraine to reach more people than would originally have been. Ukraine has not gotten nearly enough media coverage as people like Justin Beiber has consumed the media with insignificant news. 

Who do I know? BR#3

In all actuality I don’t know so many people. I know my family, and I know a few close friends, but knowing someone, really knowing someone, is more than just being friends on Facebook or retweeting someone because you went to high school with them a few years back. All of the people I really know I have met through common interests like rugby, school or volunteering. Not one person who I have met online has ever come close to knowing me or having any sort of influence on my life. My boyfriend I met at Brock, my roommates I met at Brock through rugby, my friends from home I met though school and my family has been there through my life. My close friends are my age or older, mostly white, and the majority of them are in a post secondary education with a part time job. I surround myself with good honest people that genuinely care about others and actively contribute to the community. The people I have made contact with over the internet are largely acquaintances and are for networking purposes. If I am looking to connect with someone new and there is a mutual friend (or acquaintance) involved then I have just found a common ground that allows me to relate to the other person more intimately. My network spans distant family members, to people I meet on a night out that know a friend of a friend. 

Recently I have made an attempt to begin to cut out people from my friends list that I do not regularly speak to or know all too well. So far my attempt has not proven very fruitful. The six degrees of separation that I appear to be grabbing for may be the source of my hesitation to delete any “friends” I do not regularly interact with. I seem to hold onto the friends I have just in case a situation arises in which I have to contact an old acquaintance and have to re-ad them only for them to realize that I deleted them in the first place.  

Facebook aside, my Instagram stands alone in that I have a different logic system for following people. I follow celebrities and one of my favourite accounts, Humans of New York. This account is dedicated to snapping pictures of random people and quoting interesting facts about their life. I do not feel the need to know the people I follow or who follow me directly as I find it more of an interactive sharing of thought provoking or simply interesting photographs. My opinion on the variations of social media brings up certain questions. Why do some forms of social networking hold different ideals for me in terms of the amount of personal information I portray and the amount of friends or followers I allow on my accounts. 

My networks have never provided an adequate feed in reference to activism and advocacy. There are so many restrictions on social media such as word counts and readers short attention spans, that prevents a detailed report on any issue of importance. That being said I still attempt to get what I can out of social media. The movements I follow, such as LoveBot are smart in their posts. On Instagram they don’t post too often so that they become an annoyance and their content is brief and interesting. The last post I saw from them was a picture of fan letters with their trade make stickers covering the envelopes. It shows that the movement is growing and there is a substantial response from the community. 

As for my Facebook news feed, much of what I have seen recently is regarding the riots in Ukraine. I myself am Ukrainian and much of my family is involved in the community overseas so their attempt is to raise awareness of the political uprising occurring presently. I don’t personally share much of these issues as many of the posts are of Ukrainian newspapers and I cannot read them, but the ones I do read are extremely eye opening and leads me to question why the mass media market in Canada and the US don’t seem to be reporting on it much. I don’t think that I really make much of an impact in digital activism, I am currently struggling with the question of whether or not my repost could really make that much of an impact. There can be as much awareness in the world but that does not mean that there will be any change. I don’t think that my post can really have enough of an impact on people to encourage some form of positive action aiding a movement or cause. 

the pride parade minus the parade BR#2

A collective identity can be formed through multiple avenues such as through the internet, through a collective inclination towards certain books, or through an institution such as school or work. The question should not be do they need in-the-flesh contact, but to what extent is it necessary. A collective identity is based entirely on a persons feeling of belonging within a community, organization or encompassing idea. Each individual person, some more than others, have the the opportunity to situate themselves in real life situations with real human contact. In this digital age it has become apparent that certain people do not posses this biological ability to socially interact in the real world and have then taken the internet as a crutch to fulfill their self esteem. In these situations I believe people put such a large portion of their trust into online communities that a real and true collective identity can be formed. I believe that groups no longer need in-the-flesh contact to generate a collective identity, but at the same time I believe groups that include in-the-flesh contact have a much stronger identity as their interactions with each other are more than just digital, they are also physical. 

As I previously stated a collective identity is most definitely possible but may be not as reliable as an identity formed in real world situations. I don't believe there is a collective action for social change without some form of collective identity. All of those people who scroll through their twitter feed skimming over one activist group or another are all candidates for each of those groups collective identities. Many people who just click like to support a cause, and then five minutes later have forgotten about their contribution completely, are not necessarily a part of the causes collective identity. This does not mean that there is no collective identity within that organization. The core contributors and creators of a cause have already formed a collective identity and although the thousand or so likes they get on the groups Facebook page might not represent the size of collective identity, that does not mean there isn't one. In order for an organization to thrive there must be passion and a shared understanding, this can be expressed through likes on a page but the collective identity that is formed by the group may be much smaller in numbers than it appears. 

I agree that because of the technologically driven world we live in today, a persons worth is often associated with their online presence and friend count. Employers may search up names of their potential employees to ensure they are good candidates but I don’t believe any online advocacy is nearly as dangerous as in-the-flesh protesting. The point of online social-change efforts is to access the masses though a global common ground. When there are thousands of people liking and commenting on a new wave of activist movements, there becomes strength in numbers. When you tie yourself to a tree, there are real and immediate dangers such are the wood chipper calling the police to have you arrested for imposing on their day job. When you are online commenting on a status accusing someone of being insensitive to your cause, you become a dime a dozen. The internet is filled with people who don’t have the courage to speak up in real life situations who feel empowered by the protection of their computer screen. Online activism may have the ability to access a widespread audience to spread awareness, but even have the number of people liking something on the internet would make a profound impact if they rallied a march or protest.

The internet can be used for protest, but is not nearly as impacting as protests in the streets of real life. No matter how dependant our society has become on tautology and the internet, we are inherently physical creatures. The most impactful protests and marches are large gatherings of people. The Pride march is an excellent example. Not only does it get the attention of everyone in Toronto, but people from all over Ontario and neighbouring provinces come in to join in the collective identity expressed through costumes, dances and music. Online, a protest cannot have an impact, but it is a valuable tool to coordinate and support real world actions. 

an endeavor fueled with a passion like feeling BR#1

Passion is a widely used and rarely understood word. Passion is an emotion so overwhelming that your soul shakes with anticipation. I have not yet discovered a true passion, likely because I have not experienced nearly enough in this world through my 19 years of existence. That being said a certain social movement that I was recently introduced to strikes a cord ever so close to passion. Lovebot is something that I follow on Instagram and regularly check online. A lovebot is a concrete robot with a red heart placed in various locations to remind a population so caught up in consumerism and materialism that time must always be made for good deeds and positive thoughts. My main goal in this life is happiness, whether that be for myself or for the ones I love, and in this case the close to home community of Toronto.

Personally I have not been involved in any protests and the marches I have participated in are restricted to a jump rope for heart marathon in grade two and a 5 k run for heart and stroke that I got too tired to finish. What I do involve myself in is volunteering. Over my four years of high school I accumulated over 500 hours of community service ranging from placements at Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital to the Burlington Animal Shelter and a trip to the Dominican Republic to build a house. Although not directly, my volunteering is a contribution to a more caring community against capitalism. The only thing stopping me now that I am in university is my time. I play for the Brock rugby team and am looking to finish my degree early, which calls for most of my time being consumed by practices and extra classes.

Although social media has been an extremely influential tool in developing movements, groups and general emancipation, I find it creates a somewhat false reality. Social media while linking people into a global community creates a belief that people can simply like something and their work is done. There is so much more that must be done to create some sort of impact, but we are now being told that all you need to do is click a button and the problem can be solved. I believe this degrades an individuals drive to go out and actively engage in a march, protest or some other activity that may be unmeasurably more influential.