Is slacktivism a valid type of activism?

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Believe it or not we are all slacktivists, or atleast have been maybe once or twice in our lives. A slacktivist is a person who supports a social or political cause , by means such as online petitions or social media- which is also characterised as involving very little commitment or effort. For instance, sharing and promoting content about certain issues on different social media platforms; liking and following social media pages that support a certain cause; joining social media groups and signing online petitions.

I would not say slacktivism is wrong or unacceptable, as it is one of the quickest and easiest ways to get people talking and focused on a certain cause. But does it really lead to actual change? Do you believe that joining a feminism group on Facebook is contributing significantly, and will result in great change?

Being an activist is all about supporting a cause with the aim of creating a social change. It is mostly about being involved physically, and risking your life by actually joining those certain meetings as well as participating in protests. Activists are devoted  in making a change, which can be achieved by doing more than just clicking 'like' on numerous social media pages.

Slacktivists believe that the more attention a cause receives, the likely people are to pay attention to that particular cause. And that is true. But what about putting in more effort? What about being a part of that gender-based violence or gender equality movement, rather than just posting about it?
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We should stop using slacktivism as a way to appease our conscience without truly having to engage.


 


Comments

  1. Thembekile Molefe15 April 2020 at 08:08

    We need to have balance. Get people talking about an issue and also do something about it.

    ReplyDelete

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