Digital activism and resistance have proved to be powerful tools to mobilize communities and advocate for grassroots political change. A recent example of this is the ousting of Puerto Rico’s former governor, Ricardo Roselló in 2019. In this case, digital activism served as a tool to disseminate the Puerto Rican people’s message of indignation and resistance to a corrupt government to a global audience. The movement amassed countless views and got popular artists involved, resulting in a complete shutdown of San Juan with over 500,000 protestors (Robles & Rosa). An example of this is the use of hashtags as a way to communicate and show solidarity across platforms, places, and people. Not only were the Puerto Rican people able to disseminate their message but they also achieved the resignation of Roselló. The combination of in-person organizing and the creation of only spaces of memory and resistance give way to long lasting actions. Online actions such as these, become highly important in countries where public spaces are regulated or are under military control. Digital activism can also be used to resist global transnational institutions.
When we think about archives as digital activism and resistance, we engage in political change and resistance, as well as in cultural resistance and recognition. To record and digitize histories that have been neglected or misinterpreted, is to resist the systems of power that dictate history. Digital archives become a tool to rewrite histories and create a “transformative opportunity to inject new narratives or to change the narratives and the way we talk about things” (Powell).