Are you really being heard? A discussion on online activism
By Saba Omran
Whenever a world event takes place, whether a war breaks out, an artist dies, or an earthquake occurs, our feeds get packed with infographics, donation pages, and information pages for the certain event taking place. This seems proactive, but to what extent? Are we simply sharing without understanding the topic thoroughly to make a difference or is it all a part of slacktivism?
I vaguely mentioned the 2021 aggression on Palestine in my last post, which was one of the first times I saw my feed flooded with information on Palestine. My friends, colleagues, and people I had never met were posting about Palestine, and for the first time, I thought something could change. Fast forward 2 years, the situation is the same, arguably worse, and the posting has stopped. So, what is the point? Personally, being Palestinian, I appreciated that our cause was gaining attention from people my age, rather than older people, who have grown up in a different time, and were not able to share everything to the extent of today. But there is a phrase- slacktivism, which I think is important to understand when discussing this topic.
The idea of slacktivism is that online activism is essentially lazy. Its effort-free, unproductive, and doesn’t cause large in-person protests which are a necessity in order for a cause to be heard. Causing mayhem and disturbing the day-to-day life of those in charge is part of getting a point across. Of course, protests have been planned online, and succussed, such as the 2020 George Floyd protests, which were organised as a response to the killing of George Floyd, which saw tens of thousands gather in London, and beyond. However, with the amount of online activism the cause was getting, it's interesting that the numbers didn’t compare to other protests in British history, such as the the ‘Stop the War’ protests in Iraq, which saw and estimated 1.5 million people protesting in London in February 2003, at a time before social media was much less used compared to today. Furthermore, the anti-Iraq war protests are perhaps the most memorable protest in British history. It was described as a “A beautiful outpouring of rage”, by actor Mark Rylance.
Online activism is also not as proactive as it may seem, because unless you're someone with a large following, you are most likely only followed by people you know personally and are surrounded by. We are likely to share something simply because someone we know has, rather than it being something, we believe in and have researched ourselves. A ‘clicktivist’ is passive slacktivism and is someone who may not understand the cause but is only getting involved as it is the current trend.
I believe that because of online activism, we are seeing a decline in protest that arguably make a bigger difference. A post will never be as effective as a protest, or a fundraiser to help a cause properly, and although it is true that social media is effective in the promotion of these protests, and fundraisers, less people feel inclined to attend in person, as they may believe they have done their bit by posting online.
With this said, I believe the internet is a revolutionary source when spreading awareness. Although I do not believe that online activism is as useful as in person activism, the way in which information can be spread with a simple click is extremely easy- and arguably useful, at times when it comes to spreading awareness for a cause. My point is that it should not end with that, and I believe using social media, alongside old school techniques with activism and protest in terms of political subjects, is a better way forward.
The topic of online activism is often discussed on our blog. For example, Sara Khalids post on How much has Social Media increased political participation in young people, how useful is it if it isn’t ‘legitimate’? , Or Carmen Ortolá Mas blog on How to use social media for climate change activism. Ella May Lanksteads blog on Infographics as a form of political protest, relates to online activism, or ‘slacktivism too.
