SLACKTIVISM: JUST KEEP CLICKING
A NON-PROFIT'S WORST NIGHTMARE. AND MAYBE YOURS TOO.
A NON-PROFIT'S WORST NIGHTMARE. AND MAYBE YOURS TOO.
"Look, if you make a Facebook page we will “like” it—it’s the least we can do. But it’s also the most we can do" (Weekend Update, Saturday Night Live, September 22, 2012). Though said in jest, Seth Meyers' comment speaks to a trend that advocates on social media dread: "Slacktivism." Slacktivism refers to the form of passive advocacy that so many social networkers partake in--"sharing" or "liking" a post from a cause, and leaving it at that. This form of "click-activism" can come at a high price. Malcolm Gladwell claims, "[social media] makes it easier for activists to express themselves, and harder for that expression to have any impact." When presented with an online page for a cause, calling for donations, public support in demonstrations, or other forms of active participation, users are "slacktive."They often agree with the message or goal of a cause, but will, for the most part, do little else than pledge their "support" on Facebook.
What makes slacktivism so dangerous is not only that it gives organizations a false sense of support and an inaccurate report of their following, but that it also leads the "slacktivists" to believe that they are genuinely contributing to the cause. In Gladwell's words, "Facebook activism succeeds not by motivating people to make a real sacrifice but by motivating them to do the things that people do when they are not motivated enough to make a real sacrifice." For many, "liking" and "sharing" is activism, and consequently, they feel no responsibility to take initiative or make a significant contribution the the causes they are backing. UNICEF Sweden recently conducted a "Likes Don't Save Lives" campaign in an attempt to counter the rise in slacktivism. As reported in The Guardian, UNICEF mocked familiar pleas for online support with its promise, "Like us on Facebook, and we will vaccinate zero children against polio." The campaign highlighted that when lives are on the line, as they often are with serious advocacy efforts, tangible action is what truly matters.
As Geoffrey A. Mitelman reports, "slacktivism helps activism... a little bit. sometimes." In some cases, the aggregate of many slacktivist efforts can make an impact. The BBC and Time Magazine reported on Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook "ebola button" (a button atop the Facebook home page, personalized with a user's first name), and Google's ebola campaign, efforts to combat slacktivism. Although the button provides an opportunity to step up the action, there is no telling how effective it will actually be. If one person doesn't feel the need to do more than "like" or "share," who's to say that somebody else will?
Image courtesy of https://www.facebook.com/OfficialNMUSFCA
What makes slacktivism so dangerous is not only that it gives organizations a false sense of support and an inaccurate report of their following, but that it also leads the "slacktivists" to believe that they are genuinely contributing to the cause. In Gladwell's words, "Facebook activism succeeds not by motivating people to make a real sacrifice but by motivating them to do the things that people do when they are not motivated enough to make a real sacrifice." For many, "liking" and "sharing" is activism, and consequently, they feel no responsibility to take initiative or make a significant contribution the the causes they are backing. UNICEF Sweden recently conducted a "Likes Don't Save Lives" campaign in an attempt to counter the rise in slacktivism. As reported in The Guardian, UNICEF mocked familiar pleas for online support with its promise, "Like us on Facebook, and we will vaccinate zero children against polio." The campaign highlighted that when lives are on the line, as they often are with serious advocacy efforts, tangible action is what truly matters.
As Geoffrey A. Mitelman reports, "slacktivism helps activism... a little bit. sometimes." In some cases, the aggregate of many slacktivist efforts can make an impact. The BBC and Time Magazine reported on Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook "ebola button" (a button atop the Facebook home page, personalized with a user's first name), and Google's ebola campaign, efforts to combat slacktivism. Although the button provides an opportunity to step up the action, there is no telling how effective it will actually be. If one person doesn't feel the need to do more than "like" or "share," who's to say that somebody else will?
Image courtesy of https://www.facebook.com/OfficialNMUSFCA