#ArmenianGenocide

On Jan. 31, Armenians across the world took to social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram in order to publicize the Armenian Genocide. The campaign was successful in trending the hashtag, #ArmenianGenocide, in several countries.

The objective of the campaign was to bring light to the issue of the Armenian Genocide outside of the month of April. Participants were encouraged to compose informative messages along with the hashtag in order to educate the social sphere about the horrors of 1915.

Spearheaded by Armenian Youth Federation members across the United States and Canada, the online movement was paired with silent protests in university campuses across California, organized by the All-Armenian Student Association. Students taped their mouths shut with duct tape and displayed posters in order to bring attention to themselves and create awareness about the genocide through informative posters and displays.

The social media campaign garnered the most attention on Twitter, generating 16,715 tweets containing the #ArmenianGenocide hashtag on Thursday. It was the third-most tweeted trend in the United States for about 10 minutes and fourth-most in Canada between noon and 1 p.m.

The hashtag was most used in Los Angeles, trending at No. 2 between noon and 2 p.m. and No. 3 between 2 and 3 p.m. It was also No. 7 in Washington, D.C. for over an hour.

The hashtag was popular in several other locations, including Austin, TX; Toronto and Montreal in Canada; Armenia; and Egypt.

Founded in 1933, the Armenian Youth Federation is the largest and most influential Armenian-American youth organization in the United States, working to advance the social, political, educational and cultural awareness of Armenian-American youth.