Low Risk Activism: The Help Sameer Movement

Humans’ advancement in technology has developed greatly over the years. From child to adult, much of the population in the U.S. has access to the Internet. For many people, the Internet is used to connect socially through sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. But while individuals are using the Internet for a social stomping ground, many activists are using it to expand their cause. Technology can bring about small amounts of social change; however, high risk and traditional activism are still needed to fabricate large amounts of social change.

Activism via social media creates weak ties and sets the stage for low risk activism. Weak ties are defined in Malcolm Gladwell’s article “Small Change” (234) as an impersonal relationship

The “Help Sameer Campaign”(Gladwell 235) is one example of how low risk activism via social media, can be accomplished. In the case of Bhatia, a man that contracted acute myelogenous leukemia, Bhatia’s business partner reached out to acquaintances via e-mail to locate a bone marrow donor for his colleague (Gladwell 235). As a result a match was found due to the “Help Sameer Campaign” growing rapidly through social media. The goal of the campaign was achieved through low risk activism and weak ties, yet people took the time to get involved. “By not asking too much of them. That’s the only way you can get someone you don’t really know to do something on your behalf. (Gladwell, 235)” That quote from Gladwell’s article is, to me the very definition of low risk

For example, Gladwell wrote about the Greensboro sit-ins, which was a protest carried out by a group of friends who were refused service because they sat at a white only lunch counter. Eventually the protest/sit-in grew and expanded to other states (231). During the 1960’s segregation was a large struggle for non-whites, especially in southern states across the United States. For these four black college students to sit down at this lunch table in the first place was a big deal. This protest that grew into a major historical event happened through traditional activism. No one liked this protest on Facebook or Re-tweeted it on Tweeter. “It happened without e-mail, texting, Facebook, or Twitter. (Gladwell 231)” Personally, the use of traditional activism is more personal and passionate than “liking” or “sharing” via social media. “New technology has made greater openness possible, but has this openness made us better off? (Singer 463)” In terms of activism, the openness has made it more convenient for a person to have access to information about a cause. The only downside about this access via Internet is that an individual is going towards a weak tie rather than a strong tie because that person is not going out into the field do research that cause. Which is why social media or the Internet can only be so beneficial to a