Satvika Shyam

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Credits: Curate-app.com

 

 

With the power to engage with hundreds of people at any given instant, there is a lot we can do. Social media is often criticized for being misused. However, sometimes the harm we do is not the result of intentional misuse, but rather a result of our failure to recognize the responsibility this tool carries. Every individual likes to be part of something big, and this feeling often leads us to unconsciously participate in slacktivism. Urban dictionary defines it as the self-deluded idea that by liking, sharing, or retweeting something you are helping out.

 

We cannot dismiss slacktivism as completely useless. It does help spread non-mainstream notions and little-known sides to a story. It helps in sparking discussions that in turn force news coverage. However, it is plagued with disadvantages. It turns social issues into superficial trends. According to Kavya, a postgraduate student in bioinformatics, the impact of trends is visibly insignificant and believes that the trend culture is not viable. The #metoo movement is the perfect example. While the hashtag was trending and created a lot of spur and conversation, its victory has mostly been under the belt and has not seen much success in passing worthwhile bills related to the cause. Twitter hashtags such as #StopAsianHate saw a spike two days after the Atlanta killings on March 16th, but only a little over a week later the enthusiasm greatly dropped.

Another disadvantage of slacktivism is disinformation. During the initial stages of the pandemic, many pictures of animals inhabiting places it previously didn’t, went viral. Online slacktivists could not be bothered with fact-checking and went on to share these pictures that were later proven fake. Many eco-fascists till today use this misinformation as an argument to environmental concerns being exaggerated. In cases like this, slacktivism has done nothing but further buried the issue it set out to help.

 

It also leads to a phenomenon called self-loafing where people feel like they don’t need to do as much because others are working on it as well. While talking to Swathi, a twenty-year-old student, she said, “I post less these days because a lot of people I follow are much more involved in this than I am.” She also said, “posting online gives us a social capital in the form of appearing progressive which is a motivation even if not consciously.”

 

It is here we see the much more serious problem of performative activism being employed to increase capital. This is evidenced by the prevalence of performative activism in pop culture. For example, Beyonce's "girls run the world" album is often considered the feminist anthem. However, the song does not address real-life issues such as wage inequality, sexual violence, etc. End of the day the goal for the stars who construct this culture is commercial. Their work only serves as a capitalistic distraction from socioeconomic inequalities. Therefore, while popular culture might complement traditional politics, its purpose should be prudently analyzed.

Performative activism is also being employed by larger corporations to capitalize on social issues. During the Black Lives Matter movement, for example, many companies ran campaigns and pledged support to the movement. However, they did not seem too keen on bringing policy changes to ensure equality. Many times, these campaigns are nothing more than a ploy to encourage consumers to shop guiltlessly. The NFL is one such corporation; while it extended condolences for George Floyd’s family and supported the movement, in 2016, they also blacklisted Colin Kaepernick for kneeling during the national anthem. This goes to show that corporations often run campaigns to appear progressive while their companies do not make any amends to the non-inclusive and discriminatory policies that these movements mean to change.

Online activism is no substitute for getting on the ground to work. However, when employed responsibly there is a lot it can do. It is clear at this point that performative activism is not always a conscious act. Hence, while effective allyship cannot be pressurized, our half-hearted support to a cause is only futile.