Social media has the power to create connections that lead to action. It’s a tool for creating measurable change in the world—from something as global as the #MeToo movement to an intimate, grassroots experience that leads you to free art.
#MeToo
The MeToo (#MeToo) movement is a prominent example of widespread activism sparked by social media. The movement was founded in 2006 by a survivor and activist, but didn’t get mainstream attention until the hashtag went viral in 2017. Celebrities began using the hashtag and their platforms to share their experiences with sexual harassment in the film industry. By October 2018, the hashtag had been used more than 19 million times.
What started as grassroots became global, and its virality led to high-profile convictions and widespread accountability. It became a place for solidarity, centered on sharing survivor stories to emphasize the prevalence of sexual harassment and violence. To this day, the movement continues to empower women to speak out.
Movements like these exemplify social media’s ability to bring about significant cultural change, but its impact is also felt in quieter spaces.
Intimate, Tangible Gestures of Connection
There’s a quieter movement spreading joy and creating community on social media—the free art movement. It’s a grassroots movement that connects people with local communities and art by increasing access. An artist makes a piece of art and uses social media to hint at the location, effectively creating a scavenger hunt experience.
I was first introduced to the movement while living in Atlanta, Georgia—and it changed my life. I was learning to paint in 2017, experimenting with tiny cosmos-inspired paintings. On a whim, I moved from observer to participant, placing my own art around the neighborhood.
A following on Instagram quickly sprouted, and I started getting messages for commissions, turning my free art into paid art. This experience became a small business and my artist persona: Moondrop.
I was able to explore art, fold into the local artist community, and connect with my neighborhood through giving art away. Just recently, someone shared with me how happy they were to find my art, and that something so small was so impactful.
I’ve now left my art in multiple cities across the United States, and I still try to keep the practice alive. Free art encourages neighborhood exploration, local artist discovery, and community and civic engagement by bringing art out of studios and museums and into your hands. It builds social connection and belonging, and with social media as a catalyst for the movement, it helps break barriers in how we connect with and experience art.
The Power to Create Good
Social media is more powerful when it moves from behind the screen into real-world action. And the impact doesn’t have to be far-reaching to be meaningful. Social media scales connection, and when that connection is acted on, it creates human interactions that become a force of good.