If you’re going through your various news feeds on all social media platforms, and come across numerous Facebook status updates and Twitter statuses saying “#MeToo”, you are witnessing a powerful social media campaign.
On Sunday, actress Alyssa Milano posted the following tweet, thus beginning the revolution which has in a day, reached our country as well.
If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet. pic.twitter.com/k2oeCiUf9n
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) October 15, 2017
While it is unclear who actually started this trend, the campaign was initiated as a response to the scandal currently making news in the United States of America, regarding Hollywood Filmmaker Harvey Weinstein’s alleged history of sexual assault. In recent weeks, more than 30 women have come forward with accusations him on public platforms. While he has denied these allegations, he has in the wake of these reports lost his job and his wife, along with being stripped of his membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Saturday. This issue has led to several discussions and debate about sexual assault in Hollywood as well as in other industries.
As an organization working for gender issues for more than three decades now, sexual harassment of women is a topic we have been dealing with quite often. Whether inside the homes or at the workplace, the issue of sexual assault is extremely serious and often not dealt with the gravity it deserves. Through our #SocialSurfing and #Tweesurfing projects with Facebook and Twitter respectively, we aim to encourage today’s youth and avid social media users, to make use of various social media channels to generate awareness on different social issues, and create social media campaigns. In today’s age of social media activism, this #MeToo campaign is an excellent example of using online platforms for raising awareness and getting people to speak about difficult, yet real issues.
