It has managed to pave the way for many movements to come
KARACHI: Last week, we witnessed the phenomenon of hashtag activism take place in the country. The kind of campaigning that involves fighting for or supporting a cause that people are advocating through social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and other networking websites. The phenomenon that was initiated in the West found its way to Asia, involving the youth to advocate for social justice.
In Pakistan, we witnessed two very parallel hashtags doing the rounds. #Khaadiboycott, which was a call to the whole nation to halt purchasing the brand’s products in the wake of their alleged labour rights violation and #Fruitsban that asked Karachites not to purchase fruits for three consecutive days in order to force vendors to lower their prices.
Unlike other hashtag activism, often criticised for being vanity activism, in which there is a lack of actual engagement, both the campaigns saw their effects on ground. This quick response became possible with only a few tweets, Facebook posts and text messages.
Whether the idea behind each campaign was, perhaps, debatable, but it helped give Pakistanis a sense of accountability and responsibility that comes with unity. The very fact that both these movements saw active efforts translating into productive solutions — with the clothing brand committing to provide basic benefits to its workers — has helped prove that together we can make a change. It has managed to pave the way for many movements to come; some at a small scale, while others may be at a much larger scale that would direct the political atmosphere of the country.
Saleem Jawed
Published in The Express Tribune, June 14th, 2017.
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