What is Toolkit? Here’s Everything You Should Know About the Online Document Used at Modern-Day Campaigns and Protest Movements

‘Toolkit,’ something you must have heard over the past days quite frequently. After Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg tweeted a document in support of the ongoing farmers’ protests on the national capital’s outskirts, the term earned a massive attraction. It sparked a sedition investigation by the Delhi Police and led to the arrest of a 21-year-old Bengaluru-based activist, Disha Ravi. Police even reportedly asked Google and some other social media giants to provide information related to the document’s creators. But what is a Toolkit? Why the document led to controversies, investigations and interrogations?

The pro-farmers protest toolkit grabbed netizens' eyeballs in India after activist Greta Thunberg shared its link in a tweet. Various urgent actions, including creating a Twitter storm and others, were listed, which were required to be taken to support the ongoing protest. The purported toolkit was meant to guide readers, and even those abroad, on how they could support the farmers, who are protesting against the three firm laws passed by the Indian government last year.

What Is A Toolkit?

A toolkit is a document created to explain any issue. It is a set of guidelines that suggest how a particular goal can be achieved. Toolkits have served as the digital equivalent of pamphlets and fliers that helped mobilise protestors and guide them on a certain campaign's cause and nature. While the toolkits have been around for decades, the accessibility of social media has brought into the spotlight in recent years. A lot of protestors have shared related documents in the view of keeping the mass informed and how they can support a specific cause. The toolkits include information about petitions, details about protests, mass movements and so on.

Typically, toolkits are made for social media campaigns and not only used by protestors, but also by government organisations. The Government of India’s Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade has a toolkit for the implementation of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 18, 2021 05:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).