The revolution won't be...a thing: social media and its co-option of contemporary popular social movements
History has shown us how revolutions are carried out: on the streets, with organized militants fighting like they have nothing to lose. But that revolution is dead. Juxtaposed against this scene of fiery resistance are the popular movements of the 21st century; no more are the days of throwing bricks and dodging gun powders thrown by cop.s Instead, the battlefield is now a virtual space and people fight with their icons and hashtags. The emergence of social media paralleled the energetic renewal of political outrage from the younger generations. But now, these movements are co-opted from their inception by the hegemonic order they critique. In other words, it is social media as a space and tool that has transformed our understanding of what constitutes a revolution, as well as what we need to sacrifice for one. The question is not about whether social media has made it impossible to distinguish between a genuine popular movement and a manufactured one. Indeed, it has made it impossible...
