Posted by The Special Anti-Robbery squad is a police unit in Nigeria that has existed since 1992 to keep down robbery, kidnapping and farm theft rates. Yet the approaches SARS have used (rape/torture/death) have led to a lot of backlashes, from both the media and activists.
Having a position of power or authority can make disagreements or protests more difficult, especially when protesting about violence as it offers the opportunity for further violence.
The role digital technologies can play can be revolutionary. Social media can enable voices to be heard in a safer way than physically protesting on the streets. In this example #endSARS was a hashtag that not only enabled Nigerian’s to be activists and protestors against brutality within a place of authority (the police force), but to also work as a reform for those accountable i.e governments.
Source: Twitter
The # brought with it many different opportunities via the method of new media. It worked as a way to engage people, such as through getting a message to the masses.; it enabled authorities to be exposed in a way that more traditional media may have had difficulty demonstrating. It enabled individuals to protest; have their voice and opinion heard in a way that they felt safe, allowing anyone to feel like they can speak up. It offered safety in the sense that people could support and back an issue they felt strongly about without having to put themselves in a position of danger, such as an in person protest, if they didn’t wish to do so.
Source: BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-58817690
Another element of new media, through the forms of the likes of social media such as Twitter and Instagram, means you can visually see growing support. This can work as a means to demonstrates how many people are activists towards an issue. This can also work as a way to gauge traction to have large scale in person protests, as when protestors know there are going to be large numbers of people on ‘their’ side. This again relates to the notion of safety and the importance this can be to activists as they may feel safer in large numbers.
In the case of #endSARS, it’s an ongoing issue. However, the opportunity to fight against authority and fight for reform to form a new world has gained its strength through the development of new media.