Slacktivism: One Click to Social Change Some people believe that supporting a cause or movement online is ineffective and a complete waste of time. The name “Slacktivist’’ was coined for those whose idea of activism includes sharing, liking, retweeting, or creating a hashtag online, with the hope of making a change in society. Social media and slacktivists have redefined traditional activism where people physically engage in campaigns for the greater good. With billions of people on various social media platforms, information spreads out faster, and a movement is created in a few seconds. Although many consider activism as a more effective way of influencing change, slacktivism has greatly influenced social change by increasing awareness and
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One post, retweet, or hashtag is all it takes to get the world talking and wanting to know more about a movement, unlike activism where weeks or months of planning and strategizing are required for a successful campaign, and only those within that location become aware of that movement. The #ALS ice bucket challenge is an example of the effectiveness of slacktivism in increasing awareness. I, for example, had no idea what ALS was until the ice bucket challenge, and most people only became aware of the disease because of the online campaign. According to Jayson Flores, from the week of 30 July 2014 to the week of 6 August 2014, the number of searches for the terms “ALS,’’ “Lou Gehrig’s Disease’’ and “Ice Bucket Challenge’’ increased to over 2 billion mentions. The challenge went viral in less than a month, and people were also educated on ALS and what the foundation was all about. Jayson states that the search “items that included the terms “ALS’’ increased 1,007 percent, and ones that mentioned Lou Gehrig’s Disease 1,167 percent.” What this indicates is that with the help of slacktivism and all the attention it garners, people will always support a movement if it resonates with their values.
The Always #like a girl campaign also succeeded in increasing awareness and ultimately redefining the phrase “like a girl.” According to the Always brand director Amanda …show more content…
Activists claim that most slacktivists will only give likes or retweets in support of a movement. However, the ALS ice bucket challenge is proof that record-breaking funds can be generated via online activism. With the help of micro-donations through the internet, people were able to donate money towards the ALS foundation. According to Flores, TIME reported that unlike 2013, the company raised a total of $2.3 billion in donations since 29 July 2014. In addition, #Giving Tuesday - the global day of giving also shows that slacktivists can go beyond liking pictures in support of a cause. Fatkin and Lansdown claim that online activity provides a forum for real activism as seen in Giving Tuesday 2013 which Huffman Post reported had a 90% increase in donations over other years (584). Social media has given people the opportunity to influence social change more effectively: before the existence of social media, offering or receiving help in a unique communication medium as seen in the #Giving Tuesday would not have been possible (Fatkin and Lansdown
One post, retweet, or hashtag is all it takes to get the world talking and wanting to know more about a movement, unlike activism where weeks or months of planning and strategizing are required for a successful campaign, and only those within that location become aware of that movement. The #ALS ice bucket challenge is an example of the effectiveness of slacktivism in increasing awareness. I, for example, had no idea what ALS was until the ice bucket challenge, and most people only became aware of the disease because of the online campaign. According to Jayson Flores, from the week of 30 July 2014 to the week of 6 August 2014, the number of searches for the terms “ALS,’’ “Lou Gehrig’s Disease’’ and “Ice Bucket Challenge’’ increased to over 2 billion mentions. The challenge went viral in less than a month, and people were also educated on ALS and what the foundation was all about. Jayson states that the search “items that included the terms “ALS’’ increased 1,007 percent, and ones that mentioned Lou Gehrig’s Disease 1,167 percent.” What this indicates is that with the help of slacktivism and all the attention it garners, people will always support a movement if it resonates with their values.
The Always #like a girl campaign also succeeded in increasing awareness and ultimately redefining the phrase “like a girl.” According to the Always brand director Amanda …show more content…
Activists claim that most slacktivists will only give likes or retweets in support of a movement. However, the ALS ice bucket challenge is proof that record-breaking funds can be generated via online activism. With the help of micro-donations through the internet, people were able to donate money towards the ALS foundation. According to Flores, TIME reported that unlike 2013, the company raised a total of $2.3 billion in donations since 29 July 2014. In addition, #Giving Tuesday - the global day of giving also shows that slacktivists can go beyond liking pictures in support of a cause. Fatkin and Lansdown claim that online activity provides a forum for real activism as seen in Giving Tuesday 2013 which Huffman Post reported had a 90% increase in donations over other years (584). Social media has given people the opportunity to influence social change more effectively: before the existence of social media, offering or receiving help in a unique communication medium as seen in the #Giving Tuesday would not have been possible (Fatkin and Lansdown