Khalid Albaih is a political cartoonist originally from Sudan, but was forced to flee to Qatar where he lives now. During the Arab Spring revolution in 2010, Albaih was on the front lines so to speak, depicting the corruption, violence, and propaganda perpetrated by the government. Many artists and activists turned to social media in the Middle East because they did not have a platform for which to share their ideas and frustrations. Like Professor Wood spoke about last week, in times of crises, one the main responses is creative sympathy. Albaih is known as the Artist of the Revolution because from his anger, pain, and fear came his art that has reached millions of people. As an artist, he has used his art, which he has said to be a sort of universal language, to unite people in the Middle East. However, his art would not have such a profound impact or reach quite as large of an audience if it was not for social media.
So often, social media is portrayed as a necessary evil in our world. Consumerism, issues of representation, inappropriate political arguments, and bullying are just a few of the evils that find a home in social media. So often my news feeds are filled with “selfies” and images of privilege, that we do not always realize the power social media can have on a movement or a revolution. However, I think that in the United States, we have started to see mediums like Facebook highlighting the injustices happening here. Originally a grassroots movement that began on social media, the Black Lives Matter movement has been responsible for this change in the US. And the movement gained so much traction because information can spread so quickly online. Now, anytime an attack or a shooting occurs in the western world, Facebook and Snapchat have filters that you can add to your photos and articles and pictures are quickly spread throughout our feeds, reaching millions quickly.
Although it is amazing how quickly news travels in this way, it is extremely disheartening how it is forgotten even faster. Albaih mentioned that these movements do not take off or result in affirmative action in this country because of our privilege. Those in powerful positions are not threatened with death everyday like those who began the Black Lives Matter movement. As a country, we do not think that we need to change, and we have convinced ourselves that maybe the next act of violence or the next protest will reignite our revolutionary spirits. In other words, we are not in a rush to change the injustices that occur in the US. This is because of the power imbalance in our country. Propaganda in our mainstream media is controlled by those in power, therefore it is not reflective of our citizens. Therefore, the messages we receive maintain our power structures and keep radical movements like Black Lives Matter at bay, so as not to have their power threatened. When looked at through this lens, the western world is just as dangerous and unprogressive as we portray other countries including Middle Eastern countries.