In The History Slacktivism, Vivid Description And Events Are Discussed (Essay Sample)

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Slacktivism
In recent years, the issue of internet activism has been a major subject of debate. Most scholars have expressed mixed reactions in the wake of this present century’s ‘fad’. To some, internet activism is just another false euphoria that might have long-term negative effects on democracy and social campaigns. Others have, however, expressed their support for internet campaigns, terming them essential awareness tools, and a means of unifying people from diverse geographical bearing to a common cause. Internet activism involves a range of ‘click-and-share’ exercises on the internet, such as posting an inspiring status on Facebook, changing one’s profile picture to express an opinion, generating likes and retweets on microblogging sites, or sharing videos on YouTube and Flickr to promote awareness (Christensen). In turn, many activist forums, such as change.org, bitgiving.com, avaaz.org, and jhatkaa.org, have also been created, turning the internet into a vibrant discussion platform for influencing opinion and catalyzing change. Most old-fashioned activist, however, still hold onto quite some reservations concerning the effectiveness of this present generation’s change stimulator. This discussion paper seeks to examine if internet campaigners befit their role as socials activists, or whether they are just a bunch of slackers.
Digital activism, or slacktivism; a portmanteau of two words, slacker, and activist, is a pejorative term for a ‘feel-good’ exercise, in support for a social cause that have little or no practical social effect; other than making the participant satisfied about doing something (Butler). This idea is not entirely a new one. Long before the invention of the internet, campaigners used to facilitate awareness through print media, public rallies and even the radio and television broadcasts. In the United States, for instance, the black press publicized the civil rights agenda, spreading the wave of resistance throughout the black community (Christensen). However, opponents of this trend tend to argue that slacktivists often pretend to be showing support for a cause, but just seeking to satisfy their hurting conscience about doing nothing, with a comparatively less effort. This assumption, according to them, borrows from the fact that slacktivism substitutes rather than supplement substantive actions that influence real changes (Christensen). Nonetheless, it should be noted that no study have been published hitherto, giving any empirical evidence in support of such allegations. If anything, most of them seems to be suggesting that the internet activism actually does a stellar job at initiating offline mobilization (Skoric).
While socio-political activism has thrived over the years without the invention of the internet, proponents of the ‘armchair activism’ cite the recent wave of uprisings, especially in the Arab states, as clear evidence of its successes. In 2010, Mohamed Bouazizi, a Tunisian fruit vendor, set himself ablaze after a disheartening encounter with the police, who harassed and confiscated his goods for refusing to pay a bribe (Butler). The news of Bouazizi’s self-immolation quickly spread throughout the country that was also burdened by poverty unemployment, lack of freedom of speech and media censorship, leading to a series of protests and the eventual ousting of their president from power. The success of this civil unrest marked the beginning of what is now referred to as the Arab Springs in North Africa and some other states in the Middle East (Butler). Politically oppressed citizens now found the internet a useful avenue to create social awareness, a champion for public action and coordination of civil movements against despotic leadership. According to Mark Pfeifle, this is just a clear enough sign that the internet is the present day soft weapon of democracy (Skoric).
According to a study by Georgetown University, ‘The Dynamics of Cause Engagement’, slacktivists were determined to be twice more willing to take part in meaningful action than their counterparts who do not (Skoric 14). With the original assumption that ‘clicktivists’ were replacing ‘meaningful’ actions with a simple click and share commands, the study revealed that they were actually supplementing and not substituting. When the story about the bullied grandmother-cum-bus monitor was aired on change.org, a total of $680,000 was raised through donations and the old lady finally found a decent living. This amount is just way more than what any homeless shelter or any other charity organization can donate for such a cause. Further, cooperate activism such as buying pink dresses or electronic appliances to support cancer causes, are known to come in handy at aiding breast cancer research and treatment.
Critics of internet activism, however, accuses the so-called slackers of their self-centeredness. To them, Slacktivists are just cohorts of lazy individuals who would not risk hurtin...