With the development of social media technology, dynamics and creation of groups has evolved over time. Shirky claims that group formation used to be formalized and process-based. To create an organization of people with the same interests as you, for example, one had to evaluate the members and allow the grouping to take place. To make a medical plea, or to spread awareness of a problem, one had to plan for gathering and facilitating the meeting. The new methods of group formation that social media offers are easier and more labor-intensive. Simply post an issue on several social media platforms. Then attract a group of people who will unite behind the goal.
A person may gain an audience that is not as large as they thought. Alicia Garza, for example, posted on Facebook about George Zimmermann’s release despite the fact that he was culpable in Trayvon Martin’s shooting death in what appeared to be a case racial violence. She didn’t expect a global outrage via social media. The post was shared by many people, and others copied it making it an extremely popular topic. This simple post led to the formation of Black Lives Matter, which has a large following both in America and around the world. It is based on the belief that everyone affected by racism can publish under this subject.
Similar to the #BCSM hashtag, I also use it for breast cancer awareness and survivorship stories. It was created from a twitter discussion.Over time, BCSM has garnered enormous numbers of supporters, including cancer patients, physicians, and cancer-supporting well-wishers. |Over time, BCSM has garnered enormous numbers of supporters, including cancer patients, physicians, and cancer-supporting well-wishers.