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/