The rise in popularity of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 is the time when most people began to notice online activism. Over time, posting online infographics and sharing information about issues online has become part of the norm. Whether it be international wars or political issues within one’s country, it can be counted on that whatever issue people care about will turn into something to post about on social media, but is this helpful?
A commonly used example of the shortcomings of online activism was during the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 when millions of people posted an image of a black square for “#blackouttuesday.” While Blackout Tuesday was originally supposed to be a day of protest that encouraged businesses and music artists to refrain from releasing music as a show of protest, most people did not know that. I find that it turned into people’s attempt to act as if they were doing something without making an actual contribution.
One of the main issues talked about when the flaws of online activism are discussed is the pattern of social and political issues being turned into trends. It’s known that most things on social media will only gain traction for a certain amount of time, and this can be seen with activism as well. It’s so common to jump from issue to issue that most topics do not end up with the coverage that they deserve.
A large reason for certain issues turning into trending topics instead of genuine progress, is the morality that ends up being attached to speaking up about things. Celebrities and influencers are often pressured into posting about the issues that people online end up caring about most at that time, and even though this can be incredibly helpful in getting a movement to gain more traction online, it often turns into basing people’s morality on whether or not they speak up about something. People end up seen as better or worse just because they do or do not post what others believe they should. This pressure also removes any genuine intention behind posts, which continues the trend-like cycle that’s observed. It becomes more important to look like you care than to actually care.
Furthermore, a lot of people find that online activism is not as helpful as it can be. When discussing issues, people often turn to posting sanitized images and not allowing for the reality of an issue to be posted. This is especially true when AI gets involved in people’s posts and infographics.
In May of 2024, AI-generated images began being reposted by millions of people on Instagram and were meant to be seen as a show of solidarity. One of the images, which said “All Eyes on Rafah,” was reposted over 34 million times by Instagram users. However, this image and the one that said “Pray For Sudan” began to be heavily criticized as they were seen as incredibly performative. Not only were the backgrounds of the images developed by artificial intelligence, but neither of them gave any information on either Rafah or Sudan. They were seen as attempts for people to believe they were getting involved without actually contributing to a cause.
A great way to be proactive with your online activism is to share and sign petitions for causes that you care about and stick out to you. Not only does this allow for tangible change, but it gives others a chance to participate.
Although online activism can be helpful and has its place online and as a form of protest, it needs to be handled and approached in a certain way. It often leads to actual issues being turned into trends and doesn’t encourage research to be done outside of social media, often causing misinformation spreading like wildfire.
Students can also be a part of productive online activism and protest by ensuring that the information they share is accurate. A huge problem within online activist spaces is sharing infographics that are not informative or are inaccurate. Students choosing to use their social media accounts for activism should always check the information they share to make sure it’s accurate and properly informs others.
I recommend always checking your sources, cross-referencing, and being careful about what you post. Remaining educated is always important, and although social media can be a great tool for that, it must be done with care and detail.
