The Story of How a Group of Student Activists from Parkland, FL launched a Twitter Movement that would create history
Introduction
School shootings have become a disturbing part of American history. There have been countless during the twenty-first century that shed light on a flawed society. These shootings have taken away numerous lives of the youngest generation and have forever shattered families. They have sent ripples across the nation, with people urging for tighter gun control as a result. Not much headway has been made in this pursuit, evidenced by the repeated occasions of school shootings. However, shaken by a school shooting at their own school, a group of students at Stoneman Douglas High School decided to join the fight. Their strategic use of Twitter, which included calling out powerful organizations and engaging key political leaders, served as a bridge to highlight their words and for the general public to understand the importance of their message.
Stoneman Douglas High School Shooting and Aftermath
On February 14th, 2018, students went to Stoneman Douglas High School for what was supposed to be another day of learning. They had no idea that their lives would be forever changed. At approximately 2:19 PM, Nikolas Cruz arrived at the Stoneman Douglas High School (Mark et al.). About two minutes later, he entered the school and almost immediately started shooting. In the ensuing four minutes, catastrophe occurred, with seventeen students being killed and seventeen more wounded. Much controversy surrounds certain instances of the shooting, such as the fact the school resource officer, who was a deputy, opted to stay outside for the whole duration of the event. Police officers and sheriff deputies would enter the school for the first time at 2:32 pm, and in the aftermath, face much scrutiny for how long their response took. Cruz, the shooter, wouldn’t be caught till an hour later, in a neighboring town.
As typical with any traumatic event such as a school shooting, the Parkland students were shaken. Many of their friends had been killed right in front of their eyes and they had experienced the most panic filled four minutes of their lives. Reality would soon set in that they were a part of one of the darkest moments in American history. Nothing could unfortunately bring their friends back. However, though they were gone, they would never be forgotten. The Parkland activists took this to heart, with their fallen lives serving as reason to start a significant movement. They didn’t want to be bystanders to a shooting that took away so many of their friends. They wanted to show the nation that it has a serious problem with gun control and the innocent were suffering as a result. It was time to use their power to impact such a concerning issue, with the hopes of preventing the fate that many of their fellow classmates had to endure on that mid-February day in 2018.
Introduction to Activists and their Work
The Parkland activists became household names on a national level quickly after the shooting. Some of these individuals include Jaclyn Corin, Emma González, David Hogg, Cameron Kasky, Alex Wind, and Delaney Tarr. They started their action almost immediately after the shooting. A week following the shooting, Corin filled a bus with people who went to Tallahesse to advocate for tighter gun control (Locker). González also took meaningful action, with an impassioned speech that caught the eyes of people all across the country (Locker). Hogg, Kasky, and Wind were instrumental in the group’s largest project, which was the creation of the #NeverAgain movement that took place on Twitter. Hogg would even later go on to right a book about the movement, titled, #NeverAgain: A New Generation Draws the Line (Locker). This movement would also be referred to as Never Again MSD. It would even result in a historic protest, with 1.2 million people marching around the country, championing for no more lives lost in the classroom (Locker). Tarr was an integral part of many interviews that publicized the March for Our Lives rally (Mahdawi). However, none of this is possible without their activism on Twitter involving the Never Again MSD movement. The movement spoke volumes to the work America had to do in order for kids to truly feel safe in the classroom.
Power of Social Media
Social media has served as an enigma since its creation. It was created as a mode of communication and to connect individuals globally, but with that also came severe consequences. It has been a platform that has often spread hate, through means such as cyberbullying and has even contributed to depression and anxiety within people. It has gained increased scrutiny over time due to these lingering problems: “Social media has also taken on a negative tone after growing harassment problems” (Newcomb). However, there are people that are committed to using social media for good, and those are the people that we must shift our attention towards. For instance, “The Ice Bucket Challenge turned into a cultural phenomenon and raised more than $115 million for ALS research. More recently, the #MeToo campaign has swept social media to illustrate just how widespread sexual harassment and assault remains” (Newcomb). Clearly, the power of social media stretches as far as a group of people desire to take it. The student activists of Parkland are no exception. Their action on Twitter has not been to divide, but in hopes of creating a better future: “With thoughtful tweets about gun control, a fearlessness for taking on politicians and sharply worded messages to shut down conspiracy theorists, the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are leading a movement” (Newcomb). The Parkland activists displayed that social media can truly be used to change the world in positive ways. They used it in an effort to protect people and in hopes that no one would have to ever go to school fearing a shooting ever again. Their action spread the message that social media truly has the power to create positive change and should be used in this regard.
Never Again MSD Twitter Movement
The student activists had a goal to reach as many people as possible, which made Twitter a highly suitable platform for their mission. Twitter is an expansive platform that many people use, with over 300 million plus monthly users and more than 130 million daily users in 2019. (Twitter in Cohn & Teruelle, 6). It is important to note that even though Twitter has such a large following, the activists still had to be creative to ensure that people actually were engaged with what they had to say. There are hundreds of millions of tweets on Twitter every day, so the activists really had to do something special to even get the attention that they were looking for. This is why the following was so critical to them: “Factors that determine the degree of activism within a public’s response to an issue include: the ability to recognize that a problem exists, one’s feeling that something can be done about the problem, and an individual’s personal involvement in a particular issue” (Alperstein & Jones, 130). In other words, the student activists had to really portray this idea that gun control is a persisting problem in this country and send this sentiment that it could truly be fixed with proper action. All the activists obviously had involvement with the issue as they were directly in the path of a school shooting. A combination of all these traits forced the activists to take this movement head on, to display that their degree of activism could not be questioned.
The activists’ use of Twitter was very strategic in nature. Their outlined vision was simple, yet powerful: “I wanted it to be that 20 years after the shooting when people thought of Parkland they didn’t think of people crying, they thought of people in the worst possible situation standing up and standing for something that was bigger than them” (Kasky). The Parkland activists knew the emotional toll of the shooting would always exist, but they wanted to channel that to do good. They didn’t want this everlasting memory of the shooting to be people standing outside of the school on February 14th, 2018, with tears streaming down their faces. When people thought about the victims of that day, they should remember how people fought for them afterwards and that’s how they would always be remembered. Perhaps, González said it best: “We are going to be the last mass shooting. We are going to change the law” (González as quoted in Abreu). With their vision secured, the activists’ attention turned towards how to capture the attention of as many people as possible: “Third, and probably most importantly, the Parkland survivors were deliberate in organizing their efforts, working collectively to develop and execute strategies, and to build organizations that would survive the burst of attention the shooting generated” (Meyer & Bourdon). These organizations spanned countless ventures, but was really easy to see how it presented itself on Twitter. The Tweets of the activists were very direct. They never tried to circle around a point, instead preferring to dive right into the heart of the issue. None of their messages were ever veiled, instead simple that everyone could understand, but powerful in nature so that people could feel the sheer impact. Most importantly, the activists’ action on Twitter signaled a changing of guard, which is what truly made it potent: “Previously, mass shootings had been met with collective mourning followed by inaction. The students condemned the inertia” (Witt). The Parkland activists showed on Twitter that change would only occur through meaningful action. The public had rarely seen this kind of response to a mass shooting, so it caught many eyes. It forced people to think hard about what had just happened at Stoneman Douglas High School and what had to be done to make sure something similar never happened again. Their use of Twitter essentially served as a catalyst to reach out to the public and show them that people needed to listen to what they had to say.
Some of the activists decided that they would get confrontational, in an effort to actually spur change, instead of merely offering suggestions. For instance, David Hogg tweeted the following after the attack: “For NRA members that have bought more guns out of the irrational fear of us, the NRA does provide some safety tips for guns, please be sure to be a safe and responsible owner. Around 900 children commit suicide with parents’ gun every year” (Hogg 2018 as quoted in Cohn & Teruelle, 6). This tweet is incredibly clever for a fundamental reason: “Hogg adopts the rhetoric of adulthood, criticizing NRA members for “succumbing to irrational fear” and calling them back to their “responsibility” both as “gun owners” and “parents”” (Hogg 2018 as quoted in Cohn & Teruelle, 6). Hogg’s decision to go against NRA members is a powerful one as they are the ones most affiliated with guns in America. By calling them out, he is showing that to create tighter gun control, action must be started at the top. This is exactly how he got people to listen. He went after the group that is probably the most untouchable and ardent supporter of guns. The chances of them wanting tighter gun control are slim, even with Hogg’s tweet. However, that was never the point. Hogg called out such a powerful group, and the rest of the public took immediate notice. They were now aware that the NRA was a danger to many individuals and that something had to be done. This influenced other people to take to Twitter to display their true feelings about the NRA. This is an example of one of those tweets: “BAN GUNS NOW!!! Fuck the @NRA the @GOP” (Cummings as quoted in Cohn & Teruelle, 7). Hogg’s tweet empowered many to call out the NRA, which in the process, unearthed the prevailing problem in the quest for gun control. Now, that more people were aware of the NRA’s social status, people know where to direct their attention. Hogg’s tweets are only one example of how the student activists strategically used Twitter to their benefit.
Emma González is another activist who creatively used Twitter to further the cause. One of her first tweets is highlighting the March for Our Lives protest and how it could lead to change. Another tweet that was equally as powerful is when she included a video of veterans discussing gun violence and the need for tighter gun control: “I have absolutely no words… Thank you not only for your service but for standing with us as we #MarchForOurLives tomorrow all over the world #VeteransForGunReform #GunControlNow #NeverAgain https://wepresent.wetransfer.com/story/veterans” (González as quoted in Cohn & Teruelle, 7–8). González’s tweets serve as a call to action. The first one gives the public a platform to fight for gun control. González is showing that she wants their voices to be heard as equally as those of the Parkland activists. She is sending this message that though the Parkland activists are spreading their message through Twitter, the activism can go up another level if people join them. The key of the second tweet are the veterans. González using them creates an emotional link in a sense. These veterans have fought for the country and alongside the Parkland activists, they are in a better position than anyone to know the importance of gun control. People simply cannot just brush off what these respected veterans have to say. They will listen and take their words to heart. Though González’s tweets take a different approach from Hogg’s, they are equally as powerful and reach the hearts of many people.
Delaney Tarr takes a different approach from Hogg and González, but her tweets are also equally as effective. Her most powerful tweet was actually in response to Senator Elizabeth Warren. Warren tweeted about another mass shooting that had happened recently and Tarr responded with an invite to Warren for a gun safety forum geared towards Democratic presidential candidates, which was being held with the help of two gun control groups (Cohn & Teruelle, 8). The tweet gained hundreds of likes and several retweets, and Warren accepted the invite, even being joined by other Democratic presidential candidates (Cohn and Teruelle, 8). Tarr’s direct appeal to a presidential candidate serves many different purposes. It shows to the public that these activists are so committed to their cause that they are trying to bring in the most powerful people who can help them the most. The fact that Warren and other democrats came is especially significant. It shows that the work of the Parkland activists on Twitter is really working. Presidential candidates were listening to them, which also compels the rest of the general public to pay attention. Tarr also shows that the activists want all the help they can get with their mission. This influences the public to want to help and have those tough conversations about gun control that the country desperately needs. Overall, Tarr’s powerful appeal to Senator Warren serves as a bridge to involve everyone committed to their cause and shows that the activists want as many people as possible to join them on their mission.
It is easy to see that the approach that these Parkland activists take with their tweets are all different, but equally as effective. Hogg’s approach was more pointed, González’s was attempting to concoct an emotional link, and Tarr’s involved reaching out to some of the most powerful political figures in the country. That’s exactly what made this Twitter activism stand out in a way that wasn’t entirely reminiscent of any similar previous situations. The public never stopped paying attention because they were looking at something different and unique constantly. Over time, with almost anything, attention fades when repetition occurs. The Parkland activists were vigilant of this, making sure they didn’t fall prey to an uninterested crowd. Another important component was that the spotlight was never to big for the activists. They knew that they had millions of people reading their tweets and judging what they had to say. Rather than use that as reason to be more careful, they embraced it, knowing that was exactly what they needed to spread their message. The Parkland activists unequivocally took on the hardest task of their lives, but their innate ability to reach people furthered their mission at every turn.
Conclusion
The Parkland activists took on an extremely tough endeavor in the wake of their school shooting. However, someone had to take it on, and there was perhaps no group better fit than them. Their Twitter activism truly caught the eye of the world. In America, it hammered home a message that we all needed to hear: Gun control is at the forefront of this country’s issues and something must be done immediately to address it. However, through the Parkland activism, hope seems to be on the horizon. More people than ever are listening this time. More people are committed to change. However, none of that means anything without action as the Parkland students show. Individuals must join Parkland students on their quest, and not relegate themselves to just be listeners. For America to accomplish meaningful change regarding gun control, it truly needs all hands-on deck. The Parkland activists have shown us the way. The road will not become any easier, but the country owes it to the countless lives lost not only in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, but to all victims of gun violence. This is the chance for the citizens of America to show that they care about protecting themselves as well as others from needless violence and making sure that this country is taking the right steps forward. No one should ever again have to endure the loss of a loved one due to gun violence. It shouldn’t be viewed as optional on whether to join the Parkland activists on their quest. Rather, it is our duty to the individuals who are no longer with us and our country to finish what the Parkland activists have started.
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