On the Media- "Checking In" on Standing Rock

I was quite surprised when I logged onto my Facebook about a week ago and saw my friends posting check in statuses as Standing Rock. And then I caught onto the trend that took the nation by surprise. This segment from On the Media discusses how these statuses brought more attention to what the indigenous people are going through.

It's been reported that police were using Facebook as a tool to track down protesters at Standing Rock. So to overwhelm and confuse police, over 1.5 million Facebook users began checking in to Standing Rock. Looking at it when it was happening, I thought this was an awesome way to I guess be a "rebel" in some way. But now I think it's smart because Standing Rock was finally getting the media recognition it deserves.

If you think about psychological context, all of these Facebook users impacted Standing Rock in someway because they contributed to bringing awareness to this issue. With social context, I'm sure not every Facebook user who checked in at Standing Rock was aware of all of the issues surrounding it, but they felt the need to engage in it because their fellow Facebook users were doing the same. It's fascinating how quick social media can become a tool to bring awareness to an issue that's otherwise been overlooked.