Social media impact on human rights advocacy

Abstract

This thesis seeks to shed a more holistic light on the overall impact of the influence of social media on human rights advocacy. It does so through an exploration and analysis of relevant literature and illustrative case studies. In doing so it tracks down the main non-state actors who take part in generating such digital advocacy and how the approach to advocacy as a whole is being shaped by the growing use of social media platforms. The thesis gives space to the two side of the discourse: the cyber-positive point of view which believes social media are positively impacting human rights in general and its advocacy, the thesis dealt with two example of such view the support of social movement and hacktivism; and the cyber-pessimist point of view which believes social media are destined to become a tool of authoritarian regimes. The thesis intends to find a possible balance between this two side of the spectrum using real cases of social movement who have been deeply and famously impact by social media. Such cases are the Egypt revolution of 2011 and the more recants protest of Black Lives Matter.