Yayu Feng, assistant professor of emerging media in the College of Arts and Sciences, recently spoke to the Minnesota Star Tribune about the importance of social media to activist organizations.
From the story:
As word spread Tuesday about a large law enforcement presence involving immigration officers in south Minneapolis, a crowd of around 200 residents flooded the area.
City council members and activists drew attention to the scene on social media. Organizers tapped networks of trained legal observers. Concerned neighbors walked down the block with phones in hand. ...
Yayu Feng, a professor of emerging media at the University of St. Thomas, said Tuesday’s fast and large response to the law enforcement operation was not something she had seen before, locally or nationally. She said it was a reflection of communities learning to strategize and protect themselves. ...
Social media has become a valuable tool for activists across the country, Feng said. “I think for some people, this is the only powerful tool they have to do something of this scale,” she said.
