Think about the last time you logged in to Facebook to see a shared video or post about some sort of social or political cause. Did you feel you needed to engage with the post and possibly even share it on your page? Would you feel more inclined to contribute your opinions about it in order to show your friends or followers how much you care? It's not uncommon to want to feel like you're part of a group, especially when the cause seems to need a lot of attention. But why do so many people engage with these posts without actually contributing to the cause?
The answer is simple. As humans, we thrive off social interactions, and when everyone else is doing something, we want to jump on the bandwagon, often times without real commitment to the cause at hand. Research has found that the less commitment required to engage in activism, the more likely people are to promote a cause. Think about the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. While millions of dollars were raised because of this Internet sensation, it was a movement that also experienced slacktivism. Did you participate in creating a video of yourself getting uncomfortably drenched, primarily to show your care for the cause? More importantly, did you actually donate the money you promised? I had some friends who mentioned that they didn't even know there was a fundraiser behind the viral videos. They simply thought it was to show their support and raise awareness. While these things are good, people are unknowingly participating in slacktivism.
The next time you think about commenting on or sharing a post, consider what your intentions are behind it. Are you trying to raise awareness or show people you're a good person for caring? Or are you willing to actively contribute, doing whatever is necessary, in order to make sure the cause is dealt with appropriately? Remember, it is completely okay to share your thoughts and ideas regarding what you're passionate about. That's what the Internet is for! But keep in mind that even though these things our actual help offline is much more important than it is online.
The answer is simple. As humans, we thrive off social interactions, and when everyone else is doing something, we want to jump on the bandwagon, often times without real commitment to the cause at hand. Research has found that the less commitment required to engage in activism, the more likely people are to promote a cause. Think about the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. While millions of dollars were raised because of this Internet sensation, it was a movement that also experienced slacktivism. Did you participate in creating a video of yourself getting uncomfortably drenched, primarily to show your care for the cause? More importantly, did you actually donate the money you promised? I had some friends who mentioned that they didn't even know there was a fundraiser behind the viral videos. They simply thought it was to show their support and raise awareness. While these things are good, people are unknowingly participating in slacktivism.
The next time you think about commenting on or sharing a post, consider what your intentions are behind it. Are you trying to raise awareness or show people you're a good person for caring? Or are you willing to actively contribute, doing whatever is necessary, in order to make sure the cause is dealt with appropriately? Remember, it is completely okay to share your thoughts and ideas regarding what you're passionate about. That's what the Internet is for! But keep in mind that even though these things our actual help offline is much more important than it is online.
I think that this topic is so incredibly important to our generation. We need to understand that yes, awareness is so important, but you can't create change with only awareness. It is important to get out and fundraise, collect signatures, or whatever it is in order to make a change. I was one of those who didn't know about the donations behind ALS and still did the ice bucket challenge. I really enjoyed your comments!
ReplyDeleteAmong the many destructive avenues that social media can contain, it can positively be used for spreading awareness. As for social media trends such as the ALS Bucket Challenge, I'm certain that the amount of individuals that posted for the cause but didn't donate could potentially be high, however, the trend instantaneously brought awareness for the cause that it did not have prior to the experience. Very interesting topic!
ReplyDeleteI am wondering about the psychology behind slacktivism.. Why does it make us feel so good to post about a cause that we might not actually have knowledge about? Your research topic is super interesting, and just reading this blog post makes me think about the time I thought I was helping by posting a 10 second video of me getting covered with ice water. What are some ways older generations helped raise awareness for causes?
ReplyDeleteSlacktivism is huge in our society. Everyone wants to look good and feel good about themselves, and people have found an easy way to do that. It almost seems as though slacktivism has made it harder to achieve real activism.
ReplyDelete"Raising Awareness" as a term is pretty much the slogan for slacktivism. I always think of #kony2012 when this topic comes up, because it was a huge deal to post about, but we really never did anything about it. What can raising awareness really do if nothing comes of it?
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned that the internet let's us be passionate about thing and that is a positive while I would agree with that I think you are on the right when you say it has made us lazy. The way I see it is people are no longer being passionate on the internet because they want to but because they have to. It is also a way for people to gain attention and look like "great" or in some cases a "horrible" people just for the sake of calling attention to themselves. Social media makes us think we need to have strong opinions about absolutely everything from politics to pizza toppings! I think this need to always be passionate make us unapproachable to one another.
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