Slacktivism: End It (but not actually)
In our ASTU Class we have been discussing contemporary human rights campaigns and the transformative power they possess. We discussed life narratives and social media campaigns such as Kony 2012. I wanted to investigate further into the potential power of social media (as a kind of extension of my last blog post) in bringing human rights issues to the forefront of conversation, and if it can spur meaningful action.
Thinking back on social media campaigns of the last year, I remembered a campaign called End It, whose goal was to “shine a light on slavery”. As soon as I Googled the term, it was clear to see that this was a true social media campaign. After the movement’s website, the first four links were to the Facebook Page, Youtube Account, Twitter Page and Instagram page. All three highlight that 27 million men, women and children are still working as slaves in 161 countries worldwide. The goal is to raise awareness by asking people to draw red X’s on their hands, and eventually aim to end slavery.
Social media campaigns like this one have been largely criticized for encouraging slacktivism. It is often associated with discouraging meaningful action because there is an easier option to get involved, like posting a picture of a red X on Instagram.
However, in the light of the End It campaign, John Sutter, a columnist for CNN still believes there is important work that these social media campaigns can do. He still recognises the disconnect between, for example, people on Instagram and sex slaves in Nepal, but he claims that these campaigns can help end slavery. I completely agree. He stresses the need for awareness, and how it is a crucial first step in actually getting something done about slavery. Along with this awareness he points out, donations have increased to charities that help people who are enslaved around the world .
Human rights campaigns will continue and evolve wuth social media, and I believe that although they are often criticized, they should be revered for certain characteristics. As long as the consumers of these campaigns remember to stay informed and do their research on the issues and companies promoting them, and are also inspired to take action, these campaigns have the power to make our world a better place.
Hi Yael!
I think the theme you presented in this post is really relevant to what we, as social media users, often encounter these days. You proposed the idea of slacktivism which criticizes meaningless actions in social campaigns but at the same time noted that those actions are not always useless since they also rise awareness. I totally agree with your observation and notice that the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge nicely illustrates the concept of slacktivism. More specifically, after being nominated, the participant could either donate (as the actual meaningful activism) or dump a bucket of ice water on his/herself (considered as slacktivism). The participants have their choice to act in either way, however it is also crucial as you suggested that they stay informed.