In today’s society, where it seems as though celebrities and online influencers are more into activism than our politicians, social media has become a platform to create dialogue and receive support. The MeToo movement, with which most of us are familiar by now, actually began in 2006 and was started by Tarana Burke as a way for women who had been affected by sexual assault to come together in unity and empathy. However, the #metoo that is seen all over Instagram and Twitter was not used until late 2017, but quickly picked up steam and has now become deeply embedded in today’s political conversation. Not only was this an opportunity for women and men to come forward where they could find a community of fellow survivors who understood and supported them, but it gave a glimpse into just how pervasive this issue of sexual assault really is. Every person who stepped out to share their story showed tremendous courage and strength. Some people even called out their attackers by name and helped to expose much of our entertainment and political spheres for what they really are.
While this incredible movement brought justice to some and gave a voice to so many, it was still met with much criticism, mostly from groups who believe that sexual assault victims should remain quiet so as not to risk ruining the reputation of their attackers. Others went as far as to accuse the victims of lying because they waited such a long time to come forward. In response to these ridiculous notions, a new hashtag was formed just within the past month: #WhyIDidntReport. This hashtag provides just some of the many reasons that women and men choose not to share their stories of sexual assault. These range from not wanting to seem dramatic, not wanting to break up a friend group to not risking the loss of a job and so many more. These reasons convey just how much society pushes women to remain quiet about sexual assault, one of the main reasons being they are afraid that no one will believe them. This is why it is so important to show support for survivors by believing them and being willing to stand with them should they choose to come forward.
The new age of social media has created a global community of support and a space to have open dialogue about serious issues like sexual assault. Due to this instant accessibility, grassroots movements can be adopted as hashtags and spread like wildfire online, giving a voice to those who may not have been given the opportunity before. Where will this hashtag activism take us next? We’ll just have to wait and see.