Malcolm Gladwell's Small Change

Malcolm Gladwell argues in his essay, “Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Retweeted,” that social media or the Internet is not an effective tool to use for activism because it is done with low-risk, weak-ties, and nobody leading the cause. Gladwell’s argument is strong and weak at the same time as some of his points still holds true in today’s society, while some do not, as his essay was from five years ago, when Internet activism was not as popular as it is today. He presented good examples of when social media is an effective tool. One example was a woman who left her cellphone in the back of a taxi in New York. She was able to find and get back her phone with the help of social media and the Internet. Another example was a guy who needed a bone-marrow transplant, but could not find a match, but with the use of social networking sites and emailing, he was able to find a match. Gladwell points out in his essay that the Internet is only useful for things such as finding a lost cellphone or finding a match for a bone-marrow transplant. It is true that Internet activism still has a long way to go before it becomes as effective as traditional
Back in the day, when the Internet and technology was not as popular as it is today, people would protest in the streets. People would create posters to hold up, make flyers to hand out to passersby, and speak on megaphones. These people understand that by protesting in the streets mean they are vulnerable and defenseless, still brave the outside, even if it means they will get physically and emotionally hurt or killed by those who oppose their cause. An example of traditional activism Gladwell shared happened in North Carolina in 1960, where four black college students sat down at the lunch corner at Woolworth. The seats were only for the whites. The students did not move after getting told by a black woman who worked there and even when the place was already closing