#BLACKLIVESMATTER: The voice of the silents

#BLACKLIVESMATTER: The voice of the silents
 

The Black Lives Matter movement, an international activist movement that has generates the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter, is a very popular movement, and very beneficial opportunity for public relations practitioners. The Hashtag explicitly denounces the anti-black racism that leads to discrimination of all kinds and murders. As a public relations practitioner, you must use this hashtag with great care as it raises a delicate story.

Pain and anger

The Black Lives Matter movement, followed by their hashtag, reached its peak in 2017, when a 17-year-old boy, unarmed, was shot by US white police.

Also, of the 987 people killed by the American police, nearly a quarter were black, and twelve of them were minors. You understand easily the frustration that the black people must feel.

The birth of this deep but powerful hashtag has awakened the humanism of many people around the world. Whether it's through anger, sadness or support ...

What are the advantages or disadvantages of social media for a public relations practitioner?

Advantages

             • On social web, we can reach more people. We can continually sensitize people about racism, we can reach their heart and their minds.

              • The fact that people are active on social media is beneficial, because they are reactive, and then public relations practitioners can know what they think about subjects such as the treatment of black people.

              • The key influencers makes to public relations practitioners an idea on what is followed, liked or disliked on social media. This is important to know who are the major actors of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Disadvantages

              • Social media may be time intensive, because the public relations practitioners have to always be aware on what is said, what is thought now, how people feel about something.  For a public relations practitioners it could be tiresome.

              • Because #BlackLivesMatter is a very fragile topic, people can become unreceptive or totally agressive. Misunderstanding can easily occur and create an explosive bad buzz.

              • People are often unstoppable. Once they are engaged with a cause, it may be difficult to target them if they have an only idea on something. They may be so much touched by the anti Black racism that they can themselves become racist, unfortunately.

And the recommendations? 

I recommend to public relations practitioners to not only recognize that this hashtag supports an too often repressed community, and it is delicate as well as powerful. It permits also to reach a certain type of people, so using this hashtag could be very beneficial.