Social media facilitating dialogue for the voiceless

The reports of violent shootings in America, especially of black men has raised serious concerns of racism world over. In the midst of all the mayhem is the African-American community that finds their voice being hushed increasingly, especially in the face of rapid politicisation that often drowns out their opinion. However, of late, as has been noticed during the recent incidents, social media has become the platform for people to raise voice against the injustice.

The shooting of Philando Castile by a police officer pulled them for a broken taillight, was transmitted live by his fiancé. For Castile, “social media was the only 911”, writes Wired's Issie Lapowsky.

The need for an alternate platform for support comes out of the fear of being excluded. According to The Guardian 566 people have been killed by police in the US in 2016 alone. This week, the videos that have circulated on social media of police brutality make these horrific events at distant places feel real for everyone.

"I wanted to put it on Facebook to go viral, so that the people could see. I wanted the people to determine who was right and who was wrong. I want the people to be the testimony here," Castile's fiancé Reynolds said.

The incident involving Alton Sterling was also circulated on social media, after a bystander captured the incident on his smartphone. Sterling, a black man who was shot by police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he was selling CDs outside a convenience store, just a few days before Castile was shot in Minnesota.

Social media also played a crucial role in bringing together protestors after the fatal shooting by police of unarmed black man Walter Scott in South Carolina in 2015. Such videos channeled on social media are opening up evidence to the public. As

Live video was also one of the primary sources of information as a sniper attacks unfolded in Dallas on July 7, in which five police officers were killed and several more injured.

Although the power of social media cannot be denied, Marcie Bianco questions if such tragic footage and posts can actually bring a change. “Technology does not eradicate racism, and it does not exact justice,” she says.