#FreetheNipple, #JeSuisCharlie, #EverydaySexism, #PaintTheirHandsBack—at one point in time, you must have taken part in tweeting these hashtagged campaigns, thinking you did the oppressed well.
Let’s give your good deed a term: digital activism. It’s often referred to as clicktivism, but haters would call it “slacktivism.” Anti-clicktivists hold the opinion that digital activism does little in reality. That this little deed allows people to feel good about themselves for “taking part” without actually doing much.
But #honestyhour: clicktivism never thrived in doing. Its real strength is allowing a movement to spread far beyond its origins.
The average Facebook user might not have a direct link to a politician or a celebrity, but odds are that he or she will know someone who knows someone who knows someone who just might. Just think about how our close-knit, trend-riding community is, and you’ll know those hashtags aren’t for naught.
Sure, a hashtag alone can’t feed, clothe, or house a poor family living under a bridge, who won’t even be able to retweet themselves. Digital activism can also lead to silencing the victims in favor of a boisterous majority that tweets more than they eat.
But let’s go back to a classic definition: the spirit of activism is doing what we can to stand up for what’s right. For those who can’t do that just yet, clicktivism gives us a chance to speak up against everyday injustices. Think about it—who will speak for those who can’t?
Source: AJ Elicaño for Northern Living, “Clicking for Change,” June 2015.
Art by Martin Diegor