World Day of Social Justice 2025: Connecting the Dots of Digital Rights

The quest for social justice has found a sojourn in digital rights and social media management amidst the plague of hate speech, misinformation and racism.

The World Day of Social Justice is marked on February 20 every year to remind the significance of creating societies that are just and more equitable. Pervasive job insecurities, rampant injustice and soaring inequality are the deepest cleavages in society, putting the onus on surmounting poverty, inequality, unemployment, lack of social protection and exclusion. The economic and social crises have been marred by armed conflicts, geopolitical tensions and climate change. As if the bottlenecks were not enough, the digital divide has exposed the grey areas in society.

As things stand in 2025, social benefits are linked to digitization. Digital connection is an essential cog for society to provide services (including but not limited to) such as digital healthcare, remote education and online banking. Alarming figures have opened a big can of worms. According to the International Telecommunication Union’s press release published on November 27, 2024, around 2.6 billion people do not have access to the internet and there are 189 million more men vis-à-vis women using the internet.

The urban-rural divide adds fuel to the fire of social inequality. The finding revealed that 83% of urban dwellers were online in 2024, while the figure stood at 48% in rural areas. The digital divide also expands between high- and low-income countries. For instance, 5G coverage has reached merely 4% of low-income countries; the number reads 84% for high-income countries.

A few questions arise as the world celebrates the World Day of Social Justice 2025. Are digital rights and social media management vital to fostering social justice and thereby meeting the Sustainable Development Goals 2030?

Impact of Social Media Management on Social Justice

Morning scroll (drawing an analogy with social media) can be the game changer in voicing opinion, promoting education and raising awareness about social issues through hashtags and online activism. In June 2023, the Pew Research Center noted in its survey data that 34% of social media users took part in a group that shared an interest in an issue or a cause, while 26% encouraged others to take action on issues important to them.

The social media management market is touted to play a pivotal role in helping organizations and individuals achieve their goals of social justice campaigns. Much to the chagrin, the deluge of biased narratives, propaganda and disinformation has dented social justice. Meanwhile, with media being as old as the hills, digital activism has risen to the occasion. For instance, the #BlackLivesMatter movement and #MeToo campaign have been monumental in curbing social injustice, including racism, inequality, sexual abuse, harassment and discrimination.

Social platforms can boost awareness and influence our thoughts. You can buy sustainable clothing after watching content on climate change and you may abstain from domestic abuse following a podcast show on survivors of domestic violence.

The trend comes against the backdrop of the Tsunami social media platforms have created worldwide. As of January 2025, Backlinko claims that 5.24 billion people use social media globally; leading social networks include Facebook (3.07 billion monthly active users), YouTube (2.5 billion), WhatsApp (2 billion) and Instagram (2 billion).

Digital Rights Management-From Clicks to Development

The 21^st-century social justice issue-digital rights-has spread across the nook and cranny of the world; inevitably so, hate speech, cyber harassment, misinformation, impersonation, astroturfing, video and image-based abuse, doxing, racism and sexism have put a stamp of approval on social injustice. Digital rights management is like a savior to prevent content from unauthorized modification and distribution. For instance, entertainment and media companies can capitalize on DRM to protect customer data. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) was a shot in the arm-nevertheless; DMCA is attributed to YouTube’s copyright strike system.

The need to protect copyrighted digital content and prevent illicit use has thrown down the gauntlet on the stakeholders of digital rights management in media & entertainment market. The influx of digital assets has compelled media houses to protect intellectual property, enhance content workflows and safeguard consumer interest in a capricious world. At a time when cyberattacks and online harassment have become pervasive, media and entertainment companies can use DRM to encrypt content, track usage and control access.

Movies & Entertainment Helping Raise Awareness

When injustice goes haywire, films and other media platforms become the silver lining, depicting nuances of issues such as civil rights, racism and discrimination. The movie-Bedlam (2019)-unravels the struggle of individuals, activists and experts with mental illness. Inevitably, the documentary was screened by the American Psychiatric Association, the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the Vera Institute of Justice. Meanwhile, Aclà (1992) highlights child exploitation, while Maid (2021) sheds light on a young mother fleeing an abusive relationship and finding a job for the child’s better future.

As everyone comes on the same page on the World Day of Social Justice, stakeholders in the movies and entertainment industry have an uphill task to allow marginalized communities to share their stories and safeguard content and data. More so at the time when OTT platforms, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Apple TV+, have become ubiquitous.

Time to Act before the Horse Bolts

It may be too sanguine to imagine a utopian world. Stakeholders from all walks of life will have to move mountains to create a fairer and just society. In doing so, the demons of misinformation and disinformation may lurk like a sword of Damocles. This is where digital rights management and social media management could be the magic bullet to boost social justice goals and objectives.