Yes:
Social media is often criticized as shallow and a place for unnecessary trends, memes and cyberbullying. But when social media is used correctly, it can be one of the most powerful tools for advocacy. Platforms like Instagram, Twitter and TikTok are not just spaces for doomscrolling, they are stages for voices that might otherwise go unheard and opportunities for users to inspire real world action.
One example is the movement “Friday for Future”, started by climate activist Greta Thunberg. What began as a single student striking outside her school gained global momentum largely because of social media. Post, hostages and online videos spread her message worldwide, inspiring millions of students to participate in climate streaks across 100 plus countries. Without social media, the movement might never have reached this scale. According to a Pew Research Center survey, over half of Americans say they have taken some form of action after seeing content online whether that is sharing a post or attending a local event. These numbers show that social media does more than spread awareness, it motivates communities.
Another instance is the “ME too” movement. When survivors of sexual harassment and assault share their stories online, social media amplified voices that were being ignored by traditional media. The hashtag quickly went viral, sparking conversations around the world holding public figures accountable and even inspiring new policies. By giving individuals a direct platform to share their experience, ME Too shows that online advocacy can result in cultural and legal change, proving that a simple post or hashtag can have enormous impacts.
Social media also played a major role in political advocacy. During the 2024 elections between Kamala Harris and President Donald Trump, social media did not just reflect political discussion, it shaped it. Platforms like X and Instagram flooded users with posts, videos and news clips, giving supporters of each side instant access to updates, debates and campaign information. Trump’s posts and those from right leaning influencers were shared widely, making information about his statements extremely visible. While this helped some stay informed, it also showed how social media can amplify certain perspectives over others. In this way, social media did not just reflect the election, it helped shape how millions of people understood it.
Social media also makes advocacy accessible to everyone. In the past, influencing policy or raising awareness required money connections or access to traditional media. Now, anyone with a phone can start a campaign and quickly organize volunteers. Small nonprofits and local activists can gain global support proving that the size of resources no longer limits impact. Critics argue that social media advocacy is too focused on likes and shares or easily drowned by misinformation. While these risks exist, real movements show that credible campaigns still succeed. Both “Fridays For Future” and “ME Too” started online and the results were so strong that marches, change and accountability all occurred. Social media serves as a starting point to tunnel society’s attention into a meaningful event.
Social media gives a platform to voices that historically lacked one. Communities, local organizers, survivors of abuse and large political figures are people who are being heard through a nontraditional platform like TikTok or Instagram. Due to these nontraditional platforms, millions of people feel more empathy, more conversations start and real world change becomes more possible than before. Social media advocacy is not perfect, but it undeniably spreads awareness and holds institutions and people accountable. It inspires action in people who might otherwise feel powerless, and when used responsibly, it proves that change can start with a single post that ripples into the world.
No:
Picture it and you will see it: a social media influencer with millions of followers posting a picture of herself holding a medication bottle that prevents morning sickness, advocating for a small company. Looking at the post, it seems legitimate. It is edited well, shared millions of times along with other content creators who validate the post in the comments section below. Yet not even a few weeks later, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sends a strongly worded letter to the creator warning that the medication did not have a single safety standard. You really do not have to picture this, because it happened to Kim Kardashian in 2015.
Similarly to how the Kardashians live in drama, the controversy hiding behind advocacy on social media is no different. Today, anything we see on social media can be taken without even questioning the validity of what is posted. Within the instances of social media content like posts on how abortion is a “my stance is the objective morale” to politicians on X sparing at each other with useless words, we utilize social media as a trope, one that authenticates opinions through likes and views instead of garnering real conversations. While social media advocacy is effective at the face, it has become an echo chamber avoiding true dialogue.
This pure sentiment just goes to show how gullible we are within the realm of advocacy online. An MIT study found that posts which contain misinformation are 70% more likely to be reposted. There is no question that social media has taken a strong role in the helping of platforming opinions and advocacies online, but the way users “hit that like button” is one of the only ways we know how valid a post is.
Sure, the whole point of social media is to platform your opinions. But what happens when social media advocacy fails to persuade, help others understand perspectives or even find common ground? Is that not the whole point of advocacy?
Look at the most recent ICE shooting of Renee Good. One side asserts that Good was trying to drive away peacefully, while another claims she was trying to aggravate the situation. Although these were two completely different perspectives, they both achieved the same feat: it divided our country more. For days, social media influencers projected their opinions online, fighting other users for violating moral ethics on the ideologues of immigration. Yet we forget that the ones violating moral ethics are all of us, because social media has tricked us into thinking that 30 second TikTok’s seemed more valid than watching the camera angles, having genuine conversations and researching topics at hand ourselves. Why has the virtue of sympathy, a natural human response, for a woman’s death become the breeding ground for artificial human division? It is not just Good; but look at recent tragedies. The shooting of Alex Pretti, the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the death of George Floyd sparked division among us. Social media advocacy taught us to be divided over our deaths, so what ever happened to basic human empathy?
Let us also not forget the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Generative AI continues to ravage our world as it copies, impersonates and steals content from posts on the internet. A study done by All About Cookies found that 77% of Americans believed that something they viewed online was real, until they realized it was AI. The rise of AI has truly made social media a dangerous place, because anything can now be generated.
“Real” conversations on social media however can take place in the comments section, where faceless pseudonyms use all caps and rant on posts containing their opinions that are often met with fiery and emotionally loaded language. It is common sense that our very political culture has polarized us so far to the point that the Pew Research Center exacerbated that 46% of social media users believe that political conversations have become less civil. It turns out that instead of convincing most social media users to come to an agreement to differing viewpoints, social media convinces them that skimming posts without any further context is perceived as true.
The internet is a complex place where differing ideas and thoughts are exchanged. Whether that would be a Kardashian misinforming the public, to anonymous accounts firing insults to each other in the comments section, it is no doubt that advocacy on social media can get as dramatic as it seems. Even though social media is a large platform for others, it is prominent that it has done more harm than good.
