MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Social media is a great place to share information, and ideas and spark a conversation.
Lately the term ‘Black Twitter’ is getting a lot of attention for the topics of social injustice, reform and culture discussed every day.
“The users created it,” WREG Commentator Otis Sanford explained. “This is nothing that Twitter did. They are not trying to play segregation here.”
Sanford has been keeping a close eye on the trending topics on what’s being called Black Twitter.
He said it’s common throughout history for groups who feel ignored by mainstream media to come together and share ideas.
Twitter makes that possible online.
“The Mike Brown case in Ferguson, and Black Lives Matter. All of those things grew up out of Black Twitter,” Sanford said.
Deandre Brown has been using Twitter for two years.
Now he can’t imagine life without it.
One of his favorite topics to follow is a social justice movement called ‘ban the box’ that helps people with criminal records get jobs.
“I was able to see it on Twitter,” Brown explained. “This is the Mayor of New York City signing the bill into law! We never got exposed to it on mainstream media.”
Brown works hard to help former criminals find work.
He sees other people on Twitter fighting his same fight, and it keeps his passion alive.
Recently he was followed by the singer and activist John Legend.
It’s a pretty big deal to him.
Here’s why:
“One retweet from one of those people can open up the eyes of someone who doesn’t necessarily not want to know. They are just ignorant because they are not exposed to what’s going on in some of these neighborhoods,” he explained.
The LA Times announced a new reporting position focused on covering Black Twitter discussions, and MTV2 is hosting a new show called Uncommon Sense aimed at giving Black Twitter conversations a voice on TV.
Brown says Black Twitter is open and available to anyone regardless of their past or present standing.
That’s what makes it great.
“It doesn’t take any requirement or level of education. Just a cell phone or a computer and you’re engaged in the world,” Brown added.
An ever changing world at that.
