Focus on Clicktivism: The New “Social” Environment

After Volkswagen officially announced the scandal was in fact true, the corporation experienced a plunge in stock prices and reputation. However, that was not all that was in store for the company. Within five hours of the announcement, the Volkswagen hashtag on Twitter accumulated over 3,000 mentions and the brand’s social media following actually grew as a result.

Read more

Focus on Clicktivism: China

Yang Zhong, one of the first arrested for publishing rumors online, sparked a large amount of online protest, leading to his release. Also, Tang Hui was sentenced to the “re-education through labor” system after constant petitioning of officials who had not been persecuted. Not only did public outcry lead to her release, but it also led to the abolishment of the “re-education through labor” system in China, according to the New York Times.

Read more

US Justice System Serves Hypocrisy to Whistleblowers

While speaking to the United Nations General Assembly in 2010, Obama made remarks about other countries’ violations of human rights during times of economic unease. “And when we gather back here next year, we should bring specific commitments to promote transparency; to fight corruption; to energize civic engagement; to leverage new technologies,” he said. Yet his words ring hollow—a call for anti-corruption tactics does not justify the United States government, whose obvious violations against human rights continue to plague the country

Read more

US, EU Should See Economic Benefits of Refugee Influx

The President of the European Commission recently announced plans to proportionately distribute 120,000 refugees across the EU, as well as establishing an emergency fund for the crisis, with a starting price tag of $2.1 billion.Despite the high costs of accepting new individuals, I believe there are advantages to immigration that countries in the EU and the globe should be aware of.

Read more