Slacktivism Sucks
Social media may have the ability to spread awareness of protests far and wide, but it can't however force actual participation in the movement. Although someone may agree with the movements motives and the change they aim to make, people tend to be lazy and not put in the effort required to make said change. Instead of actively trying to progress the movement and work towards the goal, people merely write posts that in the end dont make much of an impact. This form of activism on social media has coined the term "slacktivism".
Slacktivism sees people retweet one tweet or share one thing on facebook and think they are actively working with the movement and helping the cause. While it is a great thing for people to be able to use social media as a way to spread their agreement with a protest or movement, it almost always leads to very minimal effort being put in to make change of any kind. Observations have shown that people who post publicly about activist efforts are much less likely to actively engage in them compared to people who privately go about talking of activist efforts, like those who might write a letter to Congress. Many people will want to seem like a good person of society in the public eye, wanting others to think they are a good person so posting publicly helps progress this thought for them. Whereas those who engage in activist efforts privately are of a smaller population who does not need their good efforts to go noticed by others and is engaging in these efforts because they genuinely want to help make change. (Seay)
It is also very common for people to avoid becoming actively engaged through social media for fear of being socially judged. Social media also grants the ability of others to comment back whatever they wish, which often times results in arguments and judgement on all ends. This continuous arguing also turns people away from social media activism as fighting with those who oppose you online is both exhausting and frustrating and it is much easier to just avoid it all together. (Boyd)
People often lose attention to topics very quickly, especially on social media where there is so much other content. A study done saw that protest organizers online had posted about their specific movement for only a tenth of the total postings, with most seen at the start of it and then during the same week it was announced. It is very easy for the amount of online engagement to decrease over time, as people move on to different topics so quickly. It is not a bad thing to solely post about a protest, however it does often lead to less engagement in the real efforts for change.
Comments:
John Wayne-
Slacktivism is seen as a negative way to engage in activist efforts, however it is still a form of engagement. Tweeting or posting about a movement is still more activity than doing nothing and it should be considered as such. Staying active on social media by retweeting or sharing things spreads the message further as it reaches different people each time. Although I agree that writing letters to Congress or attending protests may be more effective ways of making change, any effort to spread awareness of the movement should be acknowledged since it will contribute to how long it stays relevant and therefore its ability to make change.