In my artifact speech I discussed the civic impact of the image of Mohamed Bouazizi’s burnt body. I explained how despite the lack of words, the picture acted as a unifying symbol for the oppressed citizens to challenge the government. The artifact in itself was created thanks to a cognizant bystander with a cellphone. Therefore, I’ve decided that the topic of my artifact paper will be the cellphone. To most people the primary uses of a mobile phone is to make calls, send texts, and (what seems to be the most prominent) browse social media. Yet, what looks like a recurring use is the one of a tool to record and report social injustice. This is seen in not only in Bouazizi’s case, but the Black Lives Matter movement, and several other police brutality cases. With citizens armed with their own “weapon” of choice society now has millions of justice officers ready to report any misdemeanors in mere seconds. Before this piece of technology came into use, police and criminals could easily get away with breaking the law because there was a constant lack of evidence. However, now people are more confident in publicizing such injustice because of its ease and reoccurrence. This civic artifact has definitely had a severe impact on society. It allows for people to be held accountable for their actions and create more civic artifacts afterwards. What interests me most about it is the ability to raise awareness of social issues through the creation of different civic artifacts in viral pictures and videos. From Tamir Rice to Eric Garner, the power of the cellphone is unmatched. Throughout the speech I could detail the history of the cellphone and its initial uses. From there I would discuss the history of viral media of social injustice. Finally, and most importantly, there would be how this artifact acts and fulfills its civic duty. With most people owning a cellphone and the boost in viral media pieces of shootings in America, my peers should be able to relate very strongly.