Nigerian schoolgirls and hashtag activism

The kidnapping of over 200 Nigerian schoolgirls by an Islamic extremist group got a late response from mainstream news; when the hashtag #bringbackourgirls began to appear in social media, celebrities and reporters took up the subject with fervor.  Is "hashtag activism" only the appearance of joining a cause, or is it an effective strategy in raising awareness?  Youth reporters say they hadn't heard about the incident until this survey, in an analysis of the new tradition of using social media to spread social justice causes, on We’Ced.