Is online activism affective? Many people claim to be a full on activists online but actually do nothing to help the cause they claim to feel so strongly about. In the article “A social media ‘blackout’ enthralled Instagram. But did it do anything?” it speaks on the Instagram blackout after George Floyd’s unfortunate murder. The article states “Activists pointed out that the posts drowned out organizing efforts, and others called out people who posted black squares but had done little to advance the Black Lives Matter cause”. If you post something in support of a cause, does that make you an activist? In the case of the blackout of Instagram, many of those involved directly with the Black Lives Matter movement were none too pleased with the online activists. They felt as if it hurt the movement because no real progress was made. In the article “Activism or Slactivism? How Social Media Hurts and Helps Student Activism” it lays out how online activism can play a role in true activism and how online activism can also be conflicting to true activism. Something interesting that this article talks about is those who like an activist page on social media are no more likely to help that cause than those who did not like the activist page. A study done by the University of British Columbia confirmed this fact. I find that very noteworthy because I would have thought those following the activist pages on social media would be more likely to do things as a true activist. But I also am not completely surprised by that fact. I know plenty of people who do things just to look good in the eyes of others and are not sincere. It makes sense that this would transfer over digitally as well. Many people want to be seen liking the activist pages because they want to be seen as a good person who cares. There’s a lot of psychology that goes into this and this article explains a lot of it. I personally do think online activism is effective. Even though the people online are not always donating money they are spreading word. Whether they care about the cause or not, their like or follow spreads the activist page to others. That’s just my opinion though. Feel free to leave yours in the comments below.
Effectiveness of Online Activism
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Writing in a Digital Age Blog 
I agree with you that it seems that an increasing number of people are only interested in the clout of appearing as an activist online. If they look like they are contributing to positive social change online, they appear to be “woke” and can then fit in with their “woke” friends. This is often BS because it can be discouraging to people who are actually trying to contribute to change. When someone grinding out protests and going door to door talking to people is drown out by teenage girls posting black squares online, I assume it can be frustrating. However, as you mention, even slacktivism can sometimes spread the word, leading to actual activism. Therefore, even though online activism is often weaker than physical activism with respect to social change, it is still necessary in the path to improving the world.
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I like the point that you make here. I think we can all agree that online activism is not as effective as in person. But I think the whole slacktivism thing stems from the idea that people are just trying to impress others on social media. Which leads to a lot of “woke” people posting activist stuff and not following through on it in person. My favorite is the “Please wear your mask” Instagram infographic story post followed by a mask-less photo at the bar with nobody around wearing a mask. It just goes to show how most people are just sharing things to seem like they’re in the know.
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I agree with your sentiment here, it’s honestly embarrassing how people go from flooding their posts and stories with the latest news, and then in less than a week it’s as though that person has completely forgotten about it and has moved on. I feel it also boils down to what kind of social media participant you choose to be: do you want to be someone who’s followers can rely on you for recent news updates and constantly giving out your social and political opinions, or do you want to be someone who sits back and utilizes social media for leisure and humor? In the middle I think is where we find the slacktivist, where someone wants to give their opinion and inform others, but in reality, does nothing about it (which is the majority of users online). If everyone could find a few organizations to really devote their time and resources towards, it would really benefit those organizations in need, rather than spreading awareness about tons of organizations for no one to actually benefit them in any way.
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The blog I wrote for this week touches on some of the topics you brought up. The main thing that I talked about is how your still technically an activist even if all you are doing is liking a post. I also agree that no matter how little or how much you’re being an activist every little bit helps. Even if you are being an activist for clout purposes you still are helping the movement.
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I think the topic that you, and other blogs from this course, cover is a very important point of reflection for most people on the internet. That is, to reflect on what your intent is when involving yourself with certain groups on the internet, sharing material, and being an “activist”. I found myself plenty of times in the past, jumping on the bandwagon with what the rest of the internet thought was important to share and care about at that moment, because I wanted to be a part of something. It was more social currency for me then actually caring about what was going on. It wasn’t until groups like BLM that changed that for me because I realized that the movements that I was sharing were actually looking to make a great change in our communities/societies. Now, I realize the power and importance of social activism, and actually take these things seriously and do all that I can to help contribute to the campaign/groups, and take the time to understand the purpose, intent, and message for everything that I share.
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