Photo courtesy of Mike Maguire, Flickr
Unity is something that comes in many forms. It doesn’t occur in one particular mold but rather in a variety of spaces. Whether it be in-person or online, the sight of people coming together can be a beautiful moment to capture.
Britney Spears, a renowned artist that has held the attention of many for nearly two decades, has been garnering support and empathy from thousands of people online. In 2008, Spears was placed into a conservatorship primarily under her father. In just a year, Spears wanted to terminate her conservatorship, as was revealed through a voicemail she left for her lawyer.
The thought of Spears being bound to an agreement for over a decade that she had attempted to be free of, after only one year, is mortifying. It’s easy to imagine how much she struggled over the years being controlled by another individual that claimed to want the best for her.
Fortunately, the horrors of the conservatorship are finally coming to an end. Just this month her father filed to terminate the conservatorship. The reasoning behind such a decision was seemingly due to the momentum and magnitude of the “#FreeBritney” movement, not out of the goodness of his heart.
Recently, the movement gained traction, and the amount of pressure from everyone online was astounding. It is horrendous to think about how much Spears had to endure for the past 13 years but once the conservatorship is officially released, it will mark the beginning of a new journey for her. It is what Buzzfeed describes as “a potential new era in Spears’ quest for freedom.”
The power of social media is incredible. It was by way of Spears’ fans and everyone who believed she was put in an unjust conservatorship that allowed this development of events to occur.
Social media is a megaphone that takes the outcries of many and puts it in front of those who care. The sheer power that comes from social platforms alone is one so overwhelming that it is impossible to forget.
Social media has the power to create rallies and protests where hundreds of people gather and show their support for a cause that they fully believe in.
Movements of all kinds are birthed from social media. It is one of the fastest ways to become aware of any societal issues that may be happening, whether that be within one’s state or on the opposite side of the world. Social media may have its downsides, but it has become a system that many rely on to ignite awareness within the minds of others. The “#FreeBritney” movement is just one example of how much people can unite under a position they firmly believe in.
dgonza15@ramapo.edu
