Activism and Antagonism: The Blackfish Effect

From The Thin Blue Line to An Inconvenient Truth, documentaries have long aimed to shine a light on injustices and global issues in the hope that they can enact some kind of change. The case of Blackfish, an impassioned documentary about captive killer whales, demonstrates how game-changing social media can be when it comes to extending and enhancing the impact of such films, writes Rebekah Brammer. Additional keywords: teaching media, middle years, senior secondary, Gabriela Cowperthwaite, Tilikum, orca, documentary, captivity, animal rights, activism, social media, SeaWorld, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, celebrity, keyboard activism, Bindi Irwin, Steve Irwin, CNN, Sea Shepherd, awareness-raising, bias.