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Is civil society a hindrance or a facilitator of meaningful political change?

Viviana Scarsbrook

As a user of social media, I believe that civil society can play both a hindering and facilitating role in meaningful political change. On one hand, civil society can create a platform for individuals to voice their opinions, unite and take collective action in support of change. Through social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, modern-day civil society movements such as Black Lives Matter and #MeToo have been able to reach a larger audience and create an impact that extends beyond their respective countries and areas.

However, civil society can also present challenges for meaningful political change, especially when the people involved are only interested in creating noise and distractions instead of making progress. We have seen examples of this in recent times where trend-driven social media campaigns with limited engagement and shallow change have labeled as effective social change. While the campaigns might make news headlines, the actual long-term impact remains invisible, and political change cannot be achieved by tweeting hashtags.

The rise of social media has presented itself as both a tool and a weapon in civil society's discourse. To drive meaningful political change, social media needs to be leveraged effectively to create a clear, concise, and united message. Too many campaigns have lacked this—what is the objective; what are the changes that the activists are seeking? It's essential to understand that there is a real need for individuals among civil society groups to focus on collaboration and result-driven outcomes, instead of idle conversation.

Finally, civil society can also prove to be a hindrance when it relies on non-negotiable demands that fail to take into account the current political state of affairs. This situation can lead to setbacks for political change and alienation of the political players.

In conclusion, it is the responsibility of the civil society's actors and leaders to understand the power and limitations of social media in making good political progress. We, as users of social media, can play our part in taking necessary action and supporting those campaigns that we believe will bring about genuine change. Civil society needs to shift their focus from idealism to pragmatism and teamwork, that is what is required for meaningful political change.