The Power of Black Twitter

On the night of June 28, Twitter erupted. The occasion was the 2015 BET Awards, which attracted 12 million TV viewers—less than half of the 25.3 million who tuned in to this year’s Grammys. 然而，, at any given moment, eight of the top ten trending hashtags in the United States that evening were related to the BETs, and since Twitter boasts an estimated 65 million users in the U.S., it’s safe to say Black Twitter is a force to be reckoned with.

是的, sometimes hyperbole is necessary. In the past three years, Twitter has become a necessary platform for dissent, discussion, breaking news and, 是的,trends. And in the case of what has become colloquially known as “Black Twitter,” all of those things have gelled to create an online culture of black intellectuals, trendsetters, and talking heads giving voice to many of the issues that 20 years ago would’ve remained far away from the mainstream radar. The murders ofTrayvon马丁 and Mike Brown, the reality of street harassment, the racial crisis brewing in the Dominican Republic—these are all stories that became of major importance because Black Twitter made sure the world understood what was happening. And with popular hashtags like #YouOKSis and #BringBackOurGirls becoming recognized all over the world, it’s impossible to ignore how Black Twitter has been able to affect change and raise awareness.

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