Jax James joined TikTok at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, and the 18-year-old has been using her platform to inform and educate the masses ever since. 

During an interview with Blavity, James shared that although she didn’t foresee her profile accumulating nearly three million followers, she’s thankful to have such a platform to educate people, specifically, Gen Z’ers.

James found her way on the social platform during the rise of Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020. She started creating videos that covered everything from systemic racism to feminism, increasing her followers and views with each video.

Shortly after the killing of George Floyd in May 2020, James uploaded a video on TikTok sharing her initial thoughts on his death.

“So many Black boys have been turned into hashtags because they were existing,” she said.

In subsequent videos, the performing arts student spoke directly to Black Lives Matter critics who proclaimed “all lives matter,” and “cherry-picking activists” who were selective in their support of the Black community. 

Another video showed James doubling down on racists who supported the LGBTQ+ community, giving credit to Marsha P. Johnson, a Black trans woman, for igniting the Stonewall riots by throwing a brick. According to Them, Johnson has been said to have thrown the first brick at a police officer. However, the accuracy of the claim has yet to be confirmed. 

James’ videos contribute to a trend of what’s been referred to as online activism or social advocacy by way of digital platforms and hashtags.

According to NBC News, summer 2020 saw an increase in online activism due to the pandemic affecting people’s outreach and advocacy efforts. 

While under mandated quarantine, people were tuned in to watch the country struggle with its deeply rooted racist history. The result was people taking to social media to express outrage, educate the misinformed and address inequities. While more than 50,000 people digitally donated almost $2 million within 24 hours to support people who were arrested during protests, roughly 28 million people shared empty black images on Instagram for #BlackoutTuesday.

The hashtag was equally praised just as much as it was criticized for drowning out crucial updates to local protests happening and pertinent updates. 

Lydia Kelow-Bennett, assistant professor in the Afroamerican and African Studies department at the University of Michigan, referred to online activism as “easy” and “an opportunity” to profess your support. She also added that it could become “very performative.” 

But online activism is surely not new.

Alyssa Bowen, a doctoral candidate in history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street movements saw the presence of online activism in 2010 and 2011, respectively. 

For James though, what started as an “artistic outlet” for the social media personality, turned into a desire to create content that reflected her passions and background. 

“I wanted what I do to represent who I am and as someone who really cares about social issues, I wanted my account to represent who I am,” James said.

The graduate credited seeing her role models Viola Davis and Emma Watson use their platforms to speak out on social issues with motivating her to create videos.

She said seeing the two discuss topics including feminism and gender equality made her realize she could have a voice and a successful career.   

James, whose mother is an immigrant from South Sudan, lives in North Dakota and told Blavity that she was privileged to learn about politics growing up and understands the importance of having an opinion. Eventually, James collided her interest in politics and TikTok to educate people.

Reflecting on the impact her videos had on her viewers and Gen Z, James said she couldn’t be prouder. 

She added that she’s also proud of the progress of the Black Lives Matter movement.

“Liberation for Black people has been an ongoing thing and so just seeing how much we’ve done in a single year is historic,” James said. “I don’t think overcoming racism in this country will happen overnight but where we’ve gotten now is amazing. It’s amazing to see.”

“We are a part of history and we are changing it as much as the people did in the ’50s,” she continued. 

The aspiring performer hasn’t just started her activism, though. According to Elite Daily, James launched the People’s Project initiative intended to engage her high school peers in meaningful conversation. During an open period in school, members of the initiative would chat about mental health, Black Lives Matter and feminism. 

She even took her opinions to the classroom, raising her hand during a conversation about the Thanksgiving holiday to say “It was genocide, though.”

It was the same confidence in school that James applied in her videos.

While James is aware of her large following and her influence on TikTok, she said her large following allowed her to “realize how powerful my words were.”

“It made me realize the impact of using your voice and having an opinion,” she said. “Being gifted the platform opened my eyes.”

As for what’s next for the social media personality, James is preparing for life after graduation.

“I think I’m going to continue to help out communities and bring light onto issues and educate people and myself,” she said. 

She added that she plans to continue her focus on the arts but is thankful that she “found my calling at a young age.”