In his essay on how pop culture icons are appropriated for political activist means, Henry Jenkins points to two terms: "fan-activism" and "participatory culture." These concepts have added a dimension to civic engagement, political protests, and cultural divides that is based in semiotics. What pop culture references do, is act as a universal signifier. Films like Avatar, which received worldwide success, are perfect signifiers because they are multicultural icons, recognized across the globe, and signify a concept that is similarly universal. After V is for Vendetta, protesters wore Guy Fawkes masks, and with this simple cultural reference, their anonymity and cosplaying became political without having to say a word.
Popular culture is also a unifying force, bringing people together because of their common interest in certain media. Unification and solidarity is key in making grassroots political activism successful. Many people criticize certain political movements like Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter because they are unable to develop a centralized group. A single media text with a strong icon or imagery (like the blue Pandorans in Avatar) is a great natural centralizer. Even if political opinions differ within the group, members of the Harry Potter Alliance can look to a text to help interpret injustice, just as Christians turn to the Bible or Americans turn to the Constitution. A central text is key, and why there is so much power in using pop culture.
Media Example:
Here's an interesting thing. Back during the Women's March on Washington I tweeted a thing that references Mad Max: Fury Road. In the film, these women protest by painting on the walls of their oppressor "We are not things." and "Our babies will not be warlords." I re appropriated one of these slogans as a tweet for the women's march, referring to some of the ideas in the film as a way to communicate frustrations in 140 characters or less.
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