On Monday, a phenomena happened on facebook in which droves of users "checked in" to the Standing Rock Reservation as a means to help those protesting the Dakota Pipeline, which would run through that reservation.
An original post claimed that, "The Morton County Sheriff's Department has been using Facebook check-ins to find out who is at Standing Rock in order to target them in attempts to disrupt the prayer camps. SO Water Protectors are calling on EVERYONE to check-in at Standing Rock, ND to overwhelm and confuse them. This is concrete action that can protect people putting their bodies and well-beings on the line that we can do without leaving our homes." The only thing is, this entire claim was proved here to be essentially false; the police never used facebook as a means to thwart protesters.
Here's the unsettling part: we now have seen how quick people are to make public their position on social media versus how slow they are to physically support that position. We're given the false sense that we can achieve equal parts change from the comfort of our homes than out in the real world. Obviously it'd be tough to drive out to North Dakota and be there to protest, but an online donation certainly achieves more than an online check-in. It almost causes one to wonder: is this issue really something the people of facebook care about, or is it just another post being shared to establish a political identity? In other words, are some real world issues treated as just another way to achieve popularity on social media?
Here's the admirable part: This is the classic 1 like = 1 prayer hoax, only instead of promoting a meaningless facebook page, the curators of this hoax actually help raise awareness about a noble cause. Many people who didn't already know about the Dakota pipeline issue now do. This creates the opportunity for more to join the cause, and actually inhibit concrete change. Many people don't have the time or resources to adequately help a cause they believe in. But anyone can advertise to those who do, and this proves critical in creating more tangible efforts. Ultimately then, it is a commendable gesture to check-in at standing rock to show support. Regardless of how genuine that support is, added awareness can and will help.
But if you think you're fooling a sheriff's department, you're really just fooling yourself.
