While Twitter and other social media platforms increase the awareness of issues and events in the United States, I am not convinced by their effectiveness.  Gaining awareness is great, and Twitter allows you to keep updated, but I think it decreases the connection between people and the whatever the issue may be.  With #Ferguson, many people took to Twitter to protest police brutality against African Americans.  Using the hashtag, people could see other people’s thoughts on the issue and any updates regarding the riots.  One point that was brought up in class was that Twitter can also act as a wormhole.  It is a useful and easy way to stay updated, but there is so much fake news out there and it is easy to get caught up in something that may not even be true.

Social media has changed the way people protest, and it makes “protesting” more accessible, but I don’t believe it is more effective than a traditional grass-roots campaign.  Social media can provide scale to a protest, but it does not ignite the same emotion and passion as being part of a grass-roots campaign.  Social media movements lack the organization and structure that every protest needs to be effective.  Communicating via social media will also never be a substitute for human interaction because the connection is so limited.  My issue with social media protests is that they garner all this excitement, which eventually wears out as soon as the next big issue comes up, which people move on to.  People will sit at their computer and phone and post something and then go on with their day.  What is that actually doing to help the situation?  If you want to see or be part of significant change in the world, hiding behind a phone will achieve nothing except back-and-forth arguing down a wormhole of posts.  It is natural to want other people to hear out your opinion, but as cliché as it is, actions will always speak louder than words on a screen.

Despite my cynical view of #hashtag activism, there has been some success due to protests, like #Ferguson and #OscarsSoWhite, which have produced progress in the right directions.  This past week, Michael Slager was sentenced to twenty years in prison for shooting Walter Scott, who was unarmed and running away.  The millions of social media posts have played a part because everyone is aware of how bad it really is.  While twenty years is an extremely light sentence for murder, it is far better than officers not even getting convicted.

In Jonathan Wynn’s “Music/City: American Festivals and Place-making in Austin, Nashville, and Newport”, Wynn writes about how festivals are changing the way cities function.  Wynn believes that these festivals provide a different and better opportunity for cities to grow.  These festivals allow more people to attend because they cost less than attending traditional sporting events.  Also, festivals and concerts will bring in tourists from outside areas to help grow local economies.  Cities are straying away from building traditional sporting venues because of the increased benefits of hosting festivals.

There were a few interesting points brought up in class that I wanted to touch on in my blog post.  When we spoke about Bowdoin acting as an entertainment machine, it was interesting to hear different perspectives of Ivies and the effect it has on the community.  On one side, loud music, inebriated kids wandering all over the place, and plenty of littering all take place in Brunswick, which can weaken ties between Bowdoin and the community.  On the other hand, Bowdoin students have an increase consumption throughout Ivies week.  Students buy more alcohol and more food, which can help the local economy.  Also, the increased purchase of narcotics can also help bolster the underground economy.  Although it can be argued that Ivies brings out some bad habits in students, it is certain that helps out the Brunswick economy.

Another interesting point brought up in class was how Bowdoin can act as an entertainment machine in different ways.  Throughout the year, Bowdoin provides entertainment outlets for students and the larger Brunswick community.  Sporting events, concerts, art exhibits, lectures, and many other events allow students and non-students interact as audience members.  These events last throughout the school year and summer.  However, during Ivies, Bowdoin changes and is strictly an entertainment machine for the students.  During Ivies, many of Bowdoin’s drinking policies change, which is something I have never really understood.  Security monitors every Ivies event but does not really step in unless students are doing something extremely stupid.  Drinking games and sometimes even hard alcohol are permitted.  It is an interesting dynamic that also allows Ivies to be more fun, and also makes Bowdoin even more of an entertainment machine compared to a regular weekend.

While we spoke a lot about Ivies, I was curious to see what people thought about cities straying away from traditional sporting events as entertainment.  Boston, which is the closest city to me, has taken a noticeable shift away from sports and put a lot more emphasis on hosting concerts and festivals.  In the past two years, Boston has said no to hosting the Olympics and no to building a soccer-specific stadium.  Boston has revamped “Boston Calling”, which is the summer festival is hosts and doubled the size of it.  Although it wasn’t mentioned in Wynn’s work, Boston is another example that he could have used to back up his argument.