Evolution of Activism
Source: The Harvard Crimson
Activism at its best is an effort to intervene in social, political, economic, or environmental reform, to direct collective opinion and change society to what is perceived as the “greater good”.
It is an age-old movement and can be dated as far back as the slave revolts of the first century BCE. We are no strangers to activism in the form of petitions, writing letters, boycotts, and demonstrative forms like rallies, strikes, sit-ins, or hunger strikes – all of these having played an instrumental role in India and several other nations’ journey from freeing them from colonial rule.
Fast forward to the 21st century, and the wings of activism are not constrained by time, space, or even the lack of information. In the digital age, with all the information available in one swipe and the whole world at your disposal, social media facilitates civic engagement and collective action like no other platform humankind has ever seen.
The Rise of Social Media in Activism
Source: Maryville University
From posting hashtags to finding communities with similar political interests, social media has transformed how people engage in perceiving and advocating for the “perceived good”. More than half of the world now uses social media (62.3%) [1]. In fact, in the United States of America, nearly half of the population on social media engages in political activism in some form or the other. With a reach of millions, social media activism plays a gigantic role in bringing to light critical issues, mobilising opinions, consolidating disorganised rallies, and amplifying marginalised voices.
The last decade has seen successful activist movements catalysed by social media like the Arab Spring, #BlackLivesMatter, #LoveWins, and #MeToo, to name a few. The Arab Spring resulted in international pressure against the violent reactions of the autocratic regime in the Arab world. The #BlackLivesMatter movement, which shed light on black pain at the hands of individuals sworn to treat everyone equally, brought about an attitudinal shift and galvanised a new crop of elected officials.
The #LoveWins movement’s biggest win was the legalisation of same-sex marriage in the United States of America in 2015. The #MeToo movement provided solidarity to all those who were sexually harassed irrespective of their profiles, catalysing change in workplace behaviour.
These movements brought light to issues that were otherwise suppressed and resulted in significant changes in some parts of society, if not all, highlighting social media’s role in changing the face of activism.
Challenges and Criticism
Source: The Exonian //Why Your Instagram Repost Is Not Enough?
The convenience and ease of igniting a spark on social media merely by passive liking, sharing, or tweeting about a cause, or simply put, slacktivism, is a matter of major concern when it comes to social media activism. According to critics, this results in the highlighting of irrelevant issues, has no real impact, and prevents or lessens political participation in real life. Micah White has argued that slacktivism leads people to lose hope in all forms of activism.
Another major concern is the spread of misinformation, which results in undermining the credibility of social media as a platform for activism and hinders the efficacy of efforts that are genuine and not born from a desire to join a social media trend. The ongoing crisis in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine are a testament to this. A viral video posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, claimed to show a Hamas fighter shooting down an Israeli helicopter. It was later revealed that the clip, which had over 230,000 views, was taken from the video game Arma 3. A similar clip from the same video game was shared on Facebook, purported to be live attacks on Ukraine by Russia in 2022 [2].
Where does this place social media in the context of activism? A powerful platform with a plethora of opportunities to voice opinions and ignite change in society or the opening of a Pandora’s box?
The Future of Activism in the Digital Age
Source: The Medium
The success stories of social media activism, in causing real changes in the world, bringing to light real problems distressing thousands of people around the world, and creating a significant difference in society are solid proof of the potential digital media carries. That is something this platform cannot be denied. However, with such an open platform come disadvantages in the form of misinformation, in the realm of generative artificial intelligence — deep fakes and misinterpretations.
The solution is to use social media not as the sole but as a complementary platform of activism. This will elevate traditional forms of activism by giving them a higher reach, transforming “rallying cries” to “amplified sounds of advocacy” reaching every corner of the world. As far as misinformation is concerned, countering technology to recognize the fake and a conscious effort to look into the authenticity of the media posted by the audience before that one ‘like’, one ‘share’, or one ‘tweet’ supporting the hashtag will do wonders!
Conclusion
The impact of social media on activism is profound and multifaceted. While it has undoubtedly revolutionised the way individuals engage with and advocate for social change, it also presents significant challenges and criticisms. The rise of social media activism has brought to light critical issues, mobilised opinions, and amplified marginalised voices, leading to tangible outcomes in some cases. However, the phenomenon of "slacktivism" and the spread of misinformation pose serious threats to the effectiveness and credibility of online activism.
Limiting activism to the digital space only will end up reducing real-world problems to trends, diminishing the depth of understanding and the quality of discourse around issues that stop society from reaching greater heights. However, the digital space as a tool alongside traditional forms of activism will create an everlasting impact and help reach changes that will direct society in better directions. As in the words of Glennon Doyle - “Activism is something we are all responsible for. It is not something we turn over to a group of people. It’s either in our daily lives or not”.
Article by,
Kunjal Patwari
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