Ellcessor builds on Jenkin’s theory, applying it to social movements. She argues that that to solve the world’s biggest issues, one must utilise the web and its technologies of communication, transparency and collective intelligence.

These theories are showcased through multiple online communities including that of the social community Black Lives Matter. In fact their very website reads:

#BlackLivesMatter is an online forum intended to build connections between Black people and our allies to fight anti-Black racism, to spark dialogue among Black people, and to facilitate the types of connections necessary to encourage social action and engagement.”

This one sentence happens to exemplify Jenkin’s four features and Elcessor’s argument and thus participatory culture as a whole. Examples of BLM collaboration include the following artworks:

As Diani writes, contemporary social movements and their success are due to the culture, technologies, infrastructure and national boundaries of their era. BLM current era involves such technologies as search engines like YouTube and Google.

YouTube as an online media vehicle is very powerful. It is the second largest search engine, the third largest social media network and it facilitates amateur work, educational videos, entertainment and more (Mushroom Networks). As a result, BLM allows for those involved in the movement to create their own videos and upload them to YouTube to share their message and bring about activism. The theory of moral panic is at play here as BLM attempts to spread the apparent issue which they are hoping to remove. As Burgess and Green state, “moral panics are further amplified by the utopian hyperbole about ‘Web 2.0’ and the democratization of cultural production.” YouTube revolves around Web 2.0 and so provides a network whereby BLM can amplify their message.

The following is a YouTube video created by multiple BLM members for the sole purpose of spreading their message and bringing about change.

Yet this works 2 ways. Though videos are uploaded for BLM, many are uploaded to argue against and convey the other side of the movement.

Thus YouTube is rather democratic as it portrays all sides including BLM, the social groups targeted by BLM and those against it.

Google, the largest search engine, is argued by Carr to be making its users more stupid and argued by Turkle to be making its users less communicative. Yet, in terms of the BLM movement, it is doing the exact opposite. It allows for great communication of its members as users can locate the social networks of BLM through Google. Users can also discover forums and information related to the group through the search engine and so it widely benefits BLM.

Google and YouTube facilitate the participatory culture which has been so necessary to BLM in gaining a voice and subsequently support.