Social media are a great way to spread awareness and advocate for social and political change. It enables us to have better information’s transparency and circulation. Using social media to motivate and ask people to get involved in ideas which are important for you, is now an extremely powerful tool.
Let’s pick up one of this very interesting social media push: “When social media impact Saudi women’s rights.”
An online movement started back in June to support Saudi Arabia women who defy a ban on female drivers. By this time, Saudi women’s rights activists called for the country’s women to start driving their own cars on June 17. Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that prevents women from driving. This ban is not based on any laws, only on religious rules.
The movement was pushed via different social media before some of those accounts were shut down:
- You Tube videos
Al-Sherif was arrested and put on jail after publishing a You Tube video showing her driving a car! 9 days later, she was released after pledging that she will never drive a car again or take part in the Women2Drive initiative.
But online supports for the campaign has lived on through:
- Viral campaign that has spread all around the world. For example, The Honk for Saudi Women showing people honking their horns to support the movement
- Petitions on change.org to ask support
The results of the online campaign are positive:
- 22nd June: women keep driving cars
- An international support from European Union’s and U.S high representative
- Positive feedback from the Saudi conservative members
As you can imagine, some people disagreed with this campaign. For example, someone broke the car’s glass and left a word “Don’t drive again, Bitch”.
Even though, Al-Shamasi, an activist woman, thinks the campaign might pick up speed. “I think more people are going to drive soon, and we can see that through YouTube,” she says.
In addition to spreading word, Women2Drive initiative hopes that their new online advocacy will inspire kingdom into overturning a ban on female drivers.