What is the relationship between African Americans and social media?

Many political movements within the African American community originated on social media, such as the Black Lives Matter movement, which started out as a Twitter hashtag during the protests in Ferguson, Missouri that occurred after the shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer. Likewise, the African American community used and continues to use social media platforms in innovative ways, such as posting user videos of police brutality and police shootings.
Another example was when African Americans took control of the "Black Friday" hashtag on Twitter to redefine the term from a shopping event that happens after Thanksgiving Day to boycott major corporations that depend on the consumerism of African Americans—whom independent studies show have the largest buying power in the United States—but don't support African American welfare. The phenomenon of social media as a form of collective communication among African Americans even birthed the term "Black Twitter."
Many black celebrities such as LeBron James, Beyonce, and Kanye West have used the platform to not only express their opinions, but greatly influence their large fan base. Controversial athletes such as Colin Kaepernick, who led protests within the NFL, used social media for activism, which inspired other athletes to be more vocal about political and social issues.
Similar to the role of social media in the Arab Spring revolutions across the Middle East and North Africa, social media in various societies, including the African American community, have become platforms for political activism and social commentary.