The omnipresence of the internet and social media in our daily lives has contributed to the creation of virtual communities. Initiated by institutions, companies, opinion leaders, and even citizens, these 2.0 communities exchange, interact, and collaborate online on common or socially engaged topics. Mobilized around a powerful hashtag, these communities use social media as a sounding board for small initiatives and feed off digital technology to grow.
For some time now, the Senegalese web has been marked by the creation of a new, committed and engaging hashtag, #Cleanupchallenge. Inspired by the "Trash Tag Challenge," which encourages Internet users around the world to take action to protect the environment, the #CleanUpChallenge is a challenge launched on social media that involves taking a photo in front of a place littered with trash and then taking another photo in the same place once it has been cleaned up. Many Senegalese citizens have joined the movement to tackle recurring pollution problems. Their actions are widely shared on the Facebook page "Save Dakar," a page dedicated to local eco-citizenship, and reveal the Senegalese population's awareness of environmental issues.
The #CleanUpChallenge is part of a viral and social movement. Beyond the borders of Senegal, this committed hashtag now brings together a large community of internet users and citizens from all over the world.
