#Slacktivism, and what happens after the click
Whether you’re civically engaged or not, you’ve most likely used a hashtag.
Hashtags are meta tags used on social media sites which allow users to find messages with a specific theme or content.
Hashtag activism takes the ideas behind traditional activism and allows users to engage online. The term is believed to have been coined by the Guardian during the Occupy Wall Street movement.
Hashtag activism has drawn out both proponents and critics. Proponents say that hashtag activism allows a cause to spread a message through a limitless platform. Critics, however, tend to believe that hashtag activism isn’t as effective as it should be.
When talking about the effectiveness of hashtag activism, we must define the term ‘effective’. What does it mean to be effective?
According to Merriam Webster, “effective” is an adjective meaning “successful in producing a desired or intended result.”
If you are Chris Kennedy, who inadvertently started the #ALSIceBucketChallenge and his desired result was to raise awareness and money for ALS research, then yes, his hashtag activism was ‘effective’.
Critics of digital activism call it “slacktivism” or “clicktivism,” saying that it is empty of meaning. Philip Howard, a professor at the University of Washington, did extensive research on digital activism, and he disputes claims that online activism is empty.
“The clicks are like a gateway to other political acts,” said Howard. “Just because these small acts of liking something don’t always translate into massive protests doesn’t mean that they’re empty of political meaning.”
Hashtag activism is effective to an extent.
Although we haven’t seen any policies directly affected or changed by the use of hashtags, we’ve seen important issues brought to the forefront. For example, the #BlackLivesMatter movement, which started after the death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed African American teenager, was reignited with the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, and has garnered the attention of students, political pundits, politicians and even President Obama.
This hashtag arguably forced society to re-examine race relations and police brutality in America.
I believe the problem with hashtag activism lies in the attitudes of people who flippantly use social media to support causes. According to Cone Communications, 75 percent of Millennials use social media to discuss issues they care about. But does it end on social media?
What have you done to help further the cause, otherthan just using a hashtag or retweeting something? Do you discuss the cause in real life with those you care about?
Are you actively trying to help the cause by supporting it in other ways?
Unfortunately, hashtags won’t #BringBackOurGirls or #StopKony from being a tyrant. You see, being civically engaged online is important, but it’s equally important to be engaged in causes outside of your online profile.