North Dakota stands firm on social media
Using Facebook and Twitter to protest yields a huge win for a Native American community
In North Dakota, a battle over a pipeline, where protestors have emerged as the victors, has revealed the power of social media.The oil pipeline has already been built, except for one segment under Lake Oahe, a US Army-controlled area on the Missouri River.The Standing Rock Sioux tribe objected to the pipeline because they believe it would contaminate water sources and violate sacred land. So they mobilised protests in the area where the pipeline was to be constructed, establishing a "camp" where protestors dug in.But they didn’t stop there. A global social media campaign turned the effort to block the pipeline into an international issue.Facebook posts went viral and Twitter was lit up with condemnation. People from all over the world "checked in" to the site of the protest, in an act of armchair solidarity.The US Army’s Corps of Engineers finally caved in to the pressure and this week announced it would "explore alternative routes" for the pipeline.Reuters reported Gerad Kipp, a N...
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