By Julean Palpallatoc
The global pandemic has really affected how most people work since there are a lot of different factors that have impacted the way we think of the world. Hence, the COVID-19 pandemic showed us a different perspective where global activists have advocated regarding the different issues that revolve around the world.
Photo credits to the original creator from Unsplash
The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted people around the world as millions of citizens follow through with lockdown restrictions that could prevent them from staying outdoors during the outbreak. The pandemic has affected the people in different ways such as their mental health and their emotional stance. Some would question their identity which made them reflect on who they are and their purpose. As each day goes by, there are still ways that the pandemic has impacted groups where activism couldn’t fully reach its potential as voices are limited from speaking their opinions in the public. Hence, the pandemic has particularly impacted global activists in their protests, strikes, or campaigns since these options have been limited from the restrictions of the coronavirus.
Global activists are defined as a network of activists that express their views regarding societal issues. They advocate for one or more cases that concern their problem as they advocate for those who are in their community. Normally, these activists would conduct more in-person actions such as campaigning in front of political parties. It differs for every community as there can be ethical concerns. Some other ways that global activists have expressed the circumstances are delivering a program that could possibly educate the youth about what is happening in our world. Nowadays, some non-profit youth organizations have been created in order to understand the situations that are happening today. These organizations could be about limited education towards developing countries, women’s rights, or insufficient actions about the environment.
But when the pandemic struck, activists had trouble fully advocating their perspectives and voices. As mentioned, the outbreak has affected millions of people worldwide where certain businesses and economies have gone downhill from less supply available for their consumers to people being affected in terms of their mental and physical health. The pandemic impacted global activists severely in that some of their plans in terms of campaigning and petitions would be postponed for other days. However, that does not mean they have postponed a longer time period where their plans for in-person demonstrations were limited. Ever since lockdown and quarantine were implemented, most certain activities have been shifted to online platforms to continue the work that was provided by separate individuals as this would be the only way to keep the idea going.
Photo credits to the original creator from Unsplash
Virtual sessions have helped global activists to continue their participation in strikes online. The internet plays a significant role in this demonstration as more activists have a chance to display their public views regarding different platforms. In addition, social media has also played a huge part in this case since most activists would use it to spread awareness such as using Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. How these activists would participate in online movements are by empowering social media campaigns such as the hashtag feature or engagement with the audience. In comparison with in-person demonstrations, most of these won’t be able to occur since there are limited materials that could be used to engage others to join. As stated before, some would encourage more organizations to donate and be a part of the cause to target opportunities for others to join within this situation. In some other cases, online petitions have been generated to pressure leaders or corporations for not contributing to a better cause. But some would say it’s a bit performative as some people who don’t consider themselves activists would only share the movement because others are doing it. However, Human Rights Career has mentioned that the first step to advocating for these causes would be engagement. Some would learn from this movement and will need to spread awareness throughout the world.
As an activist, I have understood that the pandemic has affected us to voice out what we need to say in the public eye. Sometimes it could get controversial but that’s also the first step to creating action. Online activism has helped other global activists to campaign their mission statements which could help others understand the issues that are happening in today’s world. Awareness and online movements have helped shape advocacy as it carries out the message. The pandemic has also changed the way people think about their role as civilians where it is really important to discuss the matters that are causing certain societal issues. For instance, there are 3 social issues that have changed significantly because of the pandemic; youth activism such as civic engagement within climate change, racial injustice, and voting rights. Activism has encouraged us to discuss these issues that affect how our society functions, digital platforms have inspired others to call for change coming from climate to political issues. These conversations should be brought up in order to drive certain actions that could improve the betterment of the future.
References:
5 Types of Activism. Human Rights Careers. Published April 30, 2021. Accessed August 12, 2021. https://www.humanrightscareers.com/issues/types-of-activism/
Have you heard about the ONE Global Activists? ONE. Published September 14, 2020. Accessed August 12, 2021. https://www.one.org/international/take-action/one-global-activists/
Priyanka Jaisinghani. 3 ways the COVID-19 pandemic has changed youth activism. World Economic Forum. Published October 12, 2020. Accessed August 12, 2021. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/10/3-ways-covid-19-has-changed-youth-activism/
Global Perspectives on Activism during COVID-19. Frontiers. Published 2020. Accessed August 12, 2021. https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/21210/global-perspectives-on-activism-during-covid-19
Pandemic participation: youth activism online in the COVID-19 crisis. Unicef.org. Published 2020. Accessed August 12, 2021. https://www.unicef.org/globalinsight/stories/pandemic-participation-youth-activism-online-covid-19-crisis
About the Writer
Julean “Jules” Palpallatoc (she/her) is currently a rising college freshman studying in the Philippines who is planning to pursue Political Science and Entrepreneurship as her courses! She is interested in reading historical fiction and romantic books which made writing to be her one of her enjoyable hobbies. She has participated in various organizations including Model UN activities and more! She hopes that her contribution to the organization would make an impact on the world and the people!