Post #2: The Good and the Bad: Social Media “Slacktivism”

THE GOOD:

In the New Yorker article “Small Change,”  Malcom Gladwell is dismissive of some of the fundraising efforts that have grown through social media activism, which I believe is trivializing a method through which many people can contribute to causes that they may otherwise remain unexposed to. Gladwell is critical that for many fundraising campaigns, the average donation ends up being a trivial amount such as 25 cents. However, this criticism overlooks the accessibility of donating to individuals who wish to contribute what they can - even if that is a small amount because of low socioeconomic status. It is imperative to note a distinct difference between Facebook likes, photo filters, retweets, and hashtags with the donation of funds to important causes and efforts to actually inform individuals through social media platforms of issues and ways in which their time can be used fruitfully (through participation in protests, marches, marathons, volunteering, etc.).

While there are many superficial and band-wagon based methods in which social media activism operates, it is important to not discount some the ways in which social media can be used to gather around and support important charities, organizations, and causes that would not gain the same amount of attention and traction without the presence of social media. The involvement of an “entertainment” or “social media” element can help a cause garner attention For example:

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge: The ALS Association, which aims to increase awareness of and fundraising for Lou Gehrig’s Disease, supported this viral video trend which involved the dumping of a bucket of ice on one’s head to promote funding and awareness for the disease. These videos have over 1 billion views on Youtube altogether. Since their popularization, over $110 million in donations have been made towards ALS.

Movember: The participation in growing a mustache in November became tied to raising money for Prostate Cancer during the month of November. This has been promoted through social media and individuals have gained support and fundraising through social media involvement for over 1 decade. In this amount of time, $556 million has been raised and used to support over 800 men’s health programs globally.

Hashtags that raise awareness and put pressure to affect governmental intervention: hashtags such as the #BringBackOurGirls and #Kony2012, while not helping the cause in and of themselves, raised a great amount of outrage and participation that caused conversations to be had about governmental intervention. The first contributed to eventual sending of foreign aid to Nigeria and the second helped send military support to Uganda. These tools can help hold governments accountable and keep issues from being “swept under the rug.” While neither of these issues was entirely resolved, with many girls remaining missing and Kony remaining uncaptured, the hashtags did prompt governmental discussions and aid that otherwise likely would not have been contributed.

The following is a breakdown of results from a 2010 national survey (American) from Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication:

“People who frequently engaged in promotional social activity were:

·       As likely as non-social media promoters to donate

·       Twice as likely to volunteer their time

·       Twice as likely to take part in events like charity walks

·       More than twice as likely to buy products or services from companies that supported the cause

·       Three times as likely to solicit donations on behalf of their cause

·       More than four times as likely to encourage others to sign a petition or contact political representatives” (http://mashable.com/2011/10/24/slactivism-cause-engagement/#36dQNDMEhqqT)

People can demonstrate varying degrees of commitment to different causes. Individuals may be willing to join a Facebook cause for one non-profit, but run a marathon and raise money for a different cause. It’s up to the non-profit to see “slacktivist” action as a sign of interest, and then to harness and deepen that interest with strong engagement. Social media participation can actually be a gateway into activism such as volunteering, fundraising, and marathon-running for causes that individuals feel strongly about and become educated on. While there are many people who will use a filter on their Facebook profile and leave it at that, there are also many who do seek further involvement in social causes. It is important to note that social media can be the springboard or catalyst for this.

References:

Andresen, K. (2011, October 24). Why Slacktivism Is Underrated. Retrieved March 16, 2017, from http://mashable.com/2011/10/24/slactivism-cause-engagement/#36dQNDMEhqqT

Gladwell, M. (2015, May 12). Small Change. Retrieved March 16, 2017, from http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/10/04/small-change-malcolm-gladwell

S. (2014, August 19). 38 Celebs Do the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge #1 - Bieber, Niall Horan, Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift. Retrieved March 16, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgqsgXSJ7g8

Scott, B. (2014, May 16). In Defense of #BringBackOurGirls and Hashtag Activism. Retrieved March 16, 2017, from http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2014/05/16/bringbackourgirls_a_defense_of_hashtag_activism.html

Skarda, E. (2014, September 16). What You Need to Know About the 5 Most Successful Social Media Campaigns for Social Change. Retrieved March 16, 2017, from http://nationswell.com/social-media-campaigns-successful-at-change/

Post #1: The Good and the Bad: Social Media “Slacktivism”

THE BAD:

Within the New Yorker article “Small Change,” Malcom Gladwell breaks down some of the issues with social media-based activism. One of the main takeaways from the article is that social media participation and interconnectivity is a platform that supports the formation of many weak social ties. This is compared to some of the strong interpersonal social ties that have fuelled activism in the past. For example, the sit in at the Woolworth’s in downtown Greensboro on February 1,1960 was organized by 4 university friends who were involved in their church, school, community, and the affirmative action movement.

Gladwell concludes that current social media-based networks of social connectivity that are decentralized and non-hierarchical can affect change but only in minor, insignificant ways that are subject to trends, short attention spans, and band-wagon activism. One of the examples that he uses to demonstrate the silly and inconsequential types of causes that social media can snowball into significance is the movement that became viral to return a businessman’s phone to him after it had been left in a taxi and appropriated by a teenage girl in New York. Through a Facebook campaign, and twitter-based harassment of this girl, the return of his phone and the arrest of the girl became possible. This, as Gladwell points out, is an example of the banal causes that can become popularized and advocated for by people who are enabled by social media to feel as though they are making a social difference. This is certainly an issue.

There are also legitimate causes that become trivialized by social activism and participation that is relatively meaningless and minor and does nothing to actually address a large and legitimate issue at hand (Facebook likes and hashtags, for example) and may actually detract from legitimate activism and charity. There are many examples of “activism” from people who lack real commitment, care only about self-satisfaction, and don’t contribute to meaningful change.

EXAMPLE: UNICEF

In 2013, a campaign by UNICEF Sweden stated that “Likes don’t save lives. Money does.” This campaign asserted that Likes on Facebook are all well and good but that people need to acknowledge that donating money is how UNICEF is actually able to operate and help people in need. While this campaign wasn’t scathing against Facebook likes, it did assert that people can often feel like they’re doing more than they actually are by liking. The following is a video that accompanied this campaign:

There are problems with weak social ties of platforms such as Facebook and Twitter promoting the idea of making a contribution to a legitimate cause through a simple action such as a “LIKE” that allows individuals to pat themselves on the back for a job well done when nothing has been accomplished, no comprehensive information has been used to educate anyone, and the problem remains or worsens. I have no issue with superficial participation in a cause in and of itself – such as changing one’s Facebook profile to have a rainbow filter in order to celebrate the same-sex marriage law after it was was upheld in the United States in 2015. This is a sign of support (albeit very minimal participatory support). Participation in these types of ways is fine. However, engagement and action need to follow. I do have an issue when individuals exaggerate their involvement in a cause (with a low risk high “reward” mentality) and also when these superficial acts of participation actually detract from contribution to charities and organizations that can affect real change and ultimately support the status quo.

I view the Facebook filter trends as analogous to someone wearing a pin to support the fight against breast cancer or a poppy during Remembrance Day. While in and of themselves, these acts do not raise funding or inform people of a complex issue, they are acts of support that are minimal in effort and do show solidarity and support for a cause, such as liking a Facebook page. The double edged sword of these types of actions becomes evident if people tout these physical pins and poppies as well as Facebook filters and hashtags as sufficient in and of themselves for combatting or supporting issues such as gay rights, war, violence, and inequality. They are a good tool but they should not be the only tool.

References:

H. (2015, July 28). Activism or Slacktivism: Can Social Media Cause Social Change? Retrieved March 16, 2017, from http://www.socialmediatoday.com/marketing/hbaker/2015-07-27/activism-or-slacktivism-can-social-media-cause-social-change

Essig, K. (n.d.). Activism Or Slacktivism? How Social Media Hurts And Helps Student Activism. Retrieved March 16, 2017, from http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/activism-or-slacktivism-how-social-media-hurts-and-helps-student-activism

Gladwell, M. (2015, May 12). Small Change. Retrieved March 16, 2017, from http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/10/04/small-change-malcolm-gladwell

Khazan, O. (2013, April 30). UNICEF Tells Slacktivists: Give Money, Not Facebook Likes. Retrieved March 16, 2017, from https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/04/unicef-tells-slacktivists-give-money-not-facebook-likes/275429/

U. (2013, April 23). Likes don't save lives - UNICEF Sweden TV commercial. Retrieved March 16, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_M0SDk3ZaM

The problem with #slacktivism - Macleans.ca. (n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2017, from http://www.bing.com/cr?IG=5D92EC12C9C44ECFA37535A129133343&CID=34F3A5A747886DCC0F3CAFE046B96CC5&rd=1&h=9Ej0DUo96RJfrgmccdQpgS5jgqPAFa5LZXI2AncYmcw&v=1&r=http%3a%2f%2fwww.macleans.ca%2fsociety%2fthe-real-problem-with-slacktivism%2f&p=DevEx,5293.1

Introduction

Hello and welcome to my blog dedicated to “Social Media and Society.” 

Over the next few months I will be exploring topics related to technology and social media as well as how these things affect both society as a whole and myself personally. Some of the topics that I will be discussing in future posts will include the following:

1. An examination of what taking a break from social media can entail. In what ways are we dependent on social media and what are the implications of these dependencies? What can we learn from taking a break from our online presence?

2. Does social media promote social change and social awareness? Or are political posts, discussions about important topics, and connectivity actually distracting us from addressing root issues? Does social media offer merely an illusion of making a difference, being an activist, and being productive?

3. What are our online identities? What footprints do we leave on the web and what are the implications of our online identities?

My Two-Day Social Media Sabbatical

Introduction:

My goals with a two-day abstinence from social media (and some technology) was to test myself to find other ways to spend my time and direct my focus. I also had the goal of understanding just exactly how social media and technology-dependence affects my day-to-day life and interactions with the world and other people. I decided on the following guidelines for my sabbatical:

* I was under no circumstances allowed to check any of my social media accounts. These included (but were not limited to) the following: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, and Youtube.

* I was to use my computer only for homework that needed to be completed.

* I was to limit the use of my phone. Texting and phone calls were only to be used in emergencies and to make plans with friends and family members. No superfluous conversations were to take place.

* I was to not watch any television or films and not listen to any podcasts.

* I allowed myself to check my email once a day and spend no more than 20 minutes reading and replying to emails.

Reactions of Others:

For the most part, my friends and family members were very understanding of my experiment in  social media abstinence. In fact, one friend exclaimed that she wished she had the willpower to join me. Others agreed that taking a break from social media is an opportunity to recharge one’s batteries and focus on what’s important in one’s life. No one criticized or questioned the importance of the experiment. 

My Experience:

I was able to successfully adhere to my sabbatical guidelines for 48 hours. I found that I became more mindful of how I had been using social media and technology to fill my time and occupy my mind. Now without those distractions, I had to face my days with a more direct attitude. My impulses to check my Twitter newsfeed and Facebook had to be turned into other, more productive impulses. While I generally try to make it to the gym 2-3 times a week, I found that I was motivated to get some gym time in on both of my sabbatical days. Going to the gym two days in a row is unheard of for me. I found that I was using exercise as a way to get out energy that I would otherwise be directing towards my social media accounts. Getting active, going to the gym, and making more attempts to get outside for walks were just a few ways that I started to feel less trapped by my social media shackles. 

Take Time for What Matters:

I decided to also funnel this newfound energy I was harnessing from my sabbatical into being productive in other ways as well. I noticed that I had been using Youtube as a method of entertainment that was becoming a time-waster in my life. Instead of vegging out and watching my favourite Youtubers for 10 minutes here and 20 minutes there, I now decided to approach my time as a opportunity-filled rather than oriented towards “spacing out.” Some of the ways I decided to fill these now-open blocks of time were by reading, cooking, cleaning, and running errands. I found that I became more productive and more mindful of my home environment. I was able to do things that I had been dreading and putting off and even managed to read a book cover to cover (The Visible Man by Chuck Klosterman). Finding other ways to spend my time made me feel more in control of my time and energy.

The following are some of my main take-away lessons from my Social Media Sabbatical that I hope to be mindful of now that I’m reintroducing social media back into my life:

Making Sleep Sacred:

This sabbatical helped me notice that I have been using both my phone and laptop as ways to unwind before bed. However, if anything, my use of computer and phone screens and social media before bed had been anything but relaxing. Using technology at night while in bed actually has been contributing to my restlessness and avoidance of sleep. While I have not developed fully blown insomnia (yet) I have noticed that my technological distractions have contributed to me pushing my “bedtime” later and later as I become consumed with Twitter and Youtube. During my sabbatical, I found that I went to sleep around 11-11:30 rather than 1AM (which had been my averaged bedtime previously). Moving forward, I think that it will be important to place some limits of my evening use of technology. My goal is to not engage with technology for at least one hour prior to when I intend to sleep. Check out this informative video about how technology and social media can affect sleeping patterns: 

Social Media-Related Stress:

I initially experienced some anxiety at the thought of “disconnecting” from my social media. In practice, however, I found that it came quite naturally. If anything, this experience helped me notice how much stress social media actually adds to my life. Social media-related stress exists in relation to checking in and keeping up to date with other people and the world. However, taking a break and disconnecting from social media helped me to realize the amount of useless information that I have been feeling obligated to feel up to date with. Consequently, before my sabbatical, I would even feel guilty about not keeping up to date and “informed.” While doing a bit of reading, I found the term “technostress” to come up several times, and found this to be an accurate term for what I was experiencing. However, there are other methods of keeping informed (like reading the newspaper and listening to the radio). The worry of being disconnected from truly earth-changing events through a sabbatical turned out to be unfounded. There are ways other than through social media that you can stay connected to the world through. Check out this article that further explores the idea of social media stress and the idea of FOMO (fear of missing out) that social media perpetuates. It touches on topics such as how FOMO and social media affect youth and how the stress and anxiety related to social media can turn into depression.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/11/08/fomo-heavy-social-media-use-leading-depression-among-teens

References:

Get Unplugged: A Technology Sabbath. (2013, December 11). Retrieved February 18, 2017, from http://www1.cbn.com/family/get-unplugged%3A-a-technology-sabbath

Strobel, T. (2011, September 07). A Magical Block of Time: Lessons Learned from my Digital Sabbatical. Retrieved February 18, 2017, from http://www.rowdykittens.com/2010/09/a-magical-block-of-time/

Take a Break From Technostress. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2017, from http://www.wellmont.org/Health-And-Wellness/Health-Library/?eid=14273&lang=1033