#BlackLivesMatter. #HoodsOff. #BringBackOurGirls. Students have the power to express emotion instantly, spread ideas, and facilitate revolutions, with no more than the click of a mouse. Since the surge in popularity of social media sites like Facebook, Tumblr, and Instagram, social media has taken on a new role as a tool for activists all over the globe to spread awareness and organize movements in order to support the issues they’re passionate about.

“One of the biggest platforms we’re lucky to have is social media,” sophomore Hannah Stanley said. “People can argue that they don’t have the time or energy, [but] all you have to do is click share. [Social media is a] way to get your point across in a few words — everyone has it, everyone knows about it.”

Comparing social media sites to “virtual opinion boards,” Stanley posts about the issues she’s interested in, like women’s rights because she feels compelled to. “It’s my moral obligation because I don’t do a lot besides that. It’s the least you can do,” she said.

However, there are long-term drawbacks to being a social media activist. “[Using social media] so you don’t do something else is probably a negative,” senior Jonah Mische said. “On the other hand, it gives people an opportunity to involve themselves and help out in an issue without using a lot of time [and] without a lot of risk.”

Senior Mansuda Arora agrees with Mische, comparing social media activism to diet soda. “Social media activism is kind of like diet soda,” she said. “It has fewer calories, [and] fewer consequences. It gets more people involved and that’s a positive aspect. It’s also a great tool for organizing…[with social media] I have a lot more sources of information and I can take action [faster]. It allows me to work with groups like Black Lives Matter Minneapolis that I would never have joined without social media.”

When engaging in social media activism. Mische usually finds himself liking other people’s pages on Facebook, that include information about issues he thinks need to be more public. However, he finds that “on social media nothing’s really aimed at resolving issues, because media is all about connections. It’s less effective than something in person almost all the time.”

Arora also finds herself using social media to spread awareness about issues like the recent rise of police brutality cases. “I’ve done posts on each publicized instance of police brutality. On MLK day I posted a quote every hour from his more radical speeches,” she said.

Despite the potential drawbacks, Stanley finds that posting on certain social media sites can have an impact.“I do [post] some on Tumblr, but mostly on Facebook because I think that’s the place where you can make the most impact,” she said. “On Tumblr it’s contributing to the conversation instead of attempting to open or bring a conversation to the surface [which is what happens on Facebook].”

However, since Stanley’s Facebook friends are people she knows personally, rather than the more anonymous followers she has on Tumblr, it is much harder for her to post her personal opinions on Facebook. She still posts about once every two weeks, and believes in the power of social media. “Social media is something you can’t really ignore, so it infiltrates groups of people that aren’t discussing these things and it forces them to [discuss the issues]. Social media can keep on bothering you and bothering you until you’re forced to acknowledge it,” she said.

While the internet can give students essential information mainstream media doesn’t cover, or provide a comforting sense of anonymity, it has its own dangers. “Being in the age of information is powerful. We no longer have to rely on mainstream media with its bias. For example, the Vines that came out of Ferguson showed far more shocking abuse than what was reported on any news station,” Arora said. “On the other hand… people hide their offensive opinions behind a screen and say whatever they want. Just look at the comments under a news article or blog or YouTube video about any current social justice issue. It’s disgusting.”

Mische warns students to be aware of where they stand in the issue before choosing to post. “[Everyone] should be involved in [social media] activism, raising awareness, and getting topics out there, but you should be aware of where you are before you jump in and get into an issue,” he said. Rather than taking center stage in a discussion better led by other individuals, Mische advises students to be considerate of the positions of others, allowing people with a greater understanding of the topic to lead the discussion.

Currently, Mische believes that social media should serve as a useful, but not only, tool for student activists. “[Social media] keeps people who want to know about [current issues] very connected, it’s readily available, it helps with response time…[but] I think it falls short in spreading awareness to people who haven’t been exposed to that issue,” he said.

Despite her faith in social media as a good tool for both organizing and spreading awareness, Arora advises students to protest in person. “[Social media is] as easy as reposting an article and ‘liking’ someone’s opinion,” she said. “It requires very little effort and there’s nothing wrong with that for people who wouldn’t otherwise be voicing any opinion, but the real changes still come from those people who go out [to] march, and speak, and organize, to change not only perceptions of social issues, but legislation as well.”