Do Hashtags Count As Activism?

On June 8, Shonda Rhimes -- producer, writer, and creator of hit TV shows Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal, and executive producer of forthcoming How to Get Away With Murder -- delivered the 2014 commencement speech at her alma mater, Dartmouth College.

Her words -- both inspirational and powerful -- were meant for the graduating class of college students, but were also live-streamed and published on Medium the following day. Among other statements in the speech, Rhimes said:

And while we are discussing this, let me say a thing. A hashtag is not helping. #YesAllWomen #TakeBackTheNight #NotAllMen #BringBackOurGirls #StopPretendingHashtagsAreTheSameAsDoingSomething.

Hashtags are very pretty on Twitter. I love them. I will hashtag myself into next week. But a hashtag is not a movement. A hashtag does not make you Dr. King. A hashtag does not change anything. It’s a hashtag. It’s you, sitting on your butt, typing into your computer and then going back to binge-watching your favorite show.

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