There are times when Hashtags are hijacked, like by spammers and those who wish to annoy or disrupt the story. But this Summer we’ve seen examples of turning a Hashtag into an altogether new narrative: your own.
#IamJada and #IfTheyGunnedMeDown are two examples.
Jada’s story was one of humiliation and abuse via social media, but she decided to create her own Hashtag, and by doing so, she found power in the situation and in turn gave others voice for their own empowerment, as well as a way to support her.
If you don’t know her story, 16-year-old Jada was at a party where it appears she was drugged, undressed and photographed. People at the party posted the photos to social media with the Hashtag #Jadapose and they spread around her community like wildfire.
Unlike so many girls who’ve been abused and then shamed, however, Jada fought back. She took a photo of herself and tagged it with #IamJada, and by doing so she reclaimed her definition of self and the power that goes along with that.
She refused to let the earlier images be the lasting impression others would have of her and instead made sure her image was what she wanted it to be.
Another example of people trying to control and change the narrative is the Hashtag #IfTheyGunnedMeDown.
After the death of Michael Brown, the young man shot & killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, the media showed a photo of the victim as they told the story of his death, and many people felt his life had been reduced to that single image.
What did that image say about him? Did he look like a thug who probably was up to no good when the cop shot him? Or did he look like a sweet kid or a scholar/athlete who had no business getting shot in the first place?
Many Black teenagers took to Twitter and asked what photo of them would be chosen by the media if they had been the ones killed by police. #IfTheyGunnedMeDown captures the inherent injustice felt by those who make up the media fodder of the 24-hour news cycle.
Who among us doesn’t have an embarrassing photo holding a wine glass or a beer bottle - or worse? What would people think of us if that were the image plastered on every news station. But wait, I’m on the PTA! I got a commendation from the City Council once! Why didn’t they use that photo instead???
This is the gist of #IfTheyGunnedMeDown and the feeling of helplessness that spawned it.
What do you think? Know any other Hashtags of protest? Let us know in the comments.
Sarah Auerswald is the co-Founder of MomsLA.com.
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