Clicktivism, Slacktivism

Online activism initiates a people-based movement towards a common cause

Using internet-based communication to create and manage a campaign

And utilizing social networks to broadcast and gather greater numbers of followers

But is it effective?

In a land where social media is a part of everyday life, anyone can be an online activist

Connecting with charitable pages online

Changing your profile picture to raise awareness

And sharing information with your networks

Yet the significance of these actions can be fairly small in the big picture

“A new study has found the majority of people who “like” a Facebook page for a cause don’t follow up that gesture with a donation.” – Rosalie Tostevin

Millions of people can click share, but the impact from there is empty

“[Online activism conjures the] illusion of activism rather than facilitating the real thing.” – Journal of Sociological Science

It also comes back to the bystander effect and the diffusion of responsibility

Being in the company of millions of members online, each individual may have less incentive to contribute

“At best, [online activists] are accused of being naïve about how the world really works. At worst, [they’re] accused of actually degrading the very nature of activism.” – Liba Rubenstein

“The popularity of viral videos makes it easy for people to throw their weight behind campaigns, without a thorough understanding of the issues involved.” – Kate Knibbs

Invisible Children’s “Kony 2012” campaign video perfectly highlights how people can champion for movements they don’t fully understand

The initial Kony 2012 video drew over 100 million views and shares and rapidly became an online phenomenon

But many who supported the video failed to understand the reality of the situation in Africa

Many critics and Ugandans themselves were angered by the simplistic portrayal of complex and horrifying events

Detrimental information about Invisible Children soon came to light

And “Cover the Night”, where the Kony movement was to be brought to the physical world, was an enormous failure.

Internet activism can generate loose ties that may promote awareness, but stop short of generating actual, tangible change.

And maybe in the end, social media can’t provide what social change has always required.

Sources

• http://psychology.about.com/od/dindex/f/diffusion-of-responsibility.htm
• http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/apr/21/kony-2012-campaign-uganda-warl...
• http://www.stanleyfoundation.org/resources.cfm?id=725&article=1
• http://www.sociologicalscience.com/download/volume%201/february_/The%20Stru...
• http://www.techopedia.com/definition/27973/cyberactivism

Sources contd.

• http://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-network-blog/2014/mar/14/onl...
• http://www.forbes.com/sites/citi/2014/02/18/how-tumblr-is-changing-online-a...
• http://www.mobiledia.com/news/137617.html
• http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/10/04/101004fa_fact_gladwell?curren...
• All images are from Flickr used under the Creative Commons license