“
The enabling of internal and external communications between citizens promoted a type of collective activism that reached thousands of citizens who were otherwise searching for ways to enact positive change.
protests, rallies, and events were coordinated through Facebook and Twitter — enabling the organizers to spread awareness while dodging the state-operated media — while other forms of digital technologies — text messages, photos, and videos — served to capture key moments during the protests, and provided to-the- minute live coverage of the problems that the demonstrators are still fighting against in their respective nations’ demonstrations. Social media provided the Arab Spring protesters with the tools to document their experiences and take matters into their own hands. The enabling of internal and external communications between citizens promoted a type of collective activism that reached thousands of citizens who were otherwise searching for ways to enact positive change. The use of social media in the Arab Spring during the uprisings led to a democratization of mass media in the Middle East, and the unprecedented level of
” information sharing had resounding implications around the
world. Even though the uprising is ongoing and over 150,000 have died in the fight, there’s no denying the role social media played in bringing international attention to their struggles.
Red Equal Signs Go Viral for Same Sex Marriage
While the use of social media proved effective and powerful in the Arab Spring Uprising, the same cannot be said for the recent Supreme Court hearings of two cases in the pursuit of marriage equality. On March 25, 2013, the Facebook group for the organization, Human Rights Campaign, shared a red and pink version of their logo as a way of showing support for same sex marriage — an equal sign against a red background — and urged their followers and fans to do the same. The image went viral. Within four days, Facebook reported 2.7 million users — including 13 U.S. Members of Congress — had changed their display pictures to the logo with newfound symbolic importance, prompting the
image to go viral. Hashtags such as #equality, #DOMA, and #UnitedforMarriage started trending, spurring conversations of marriage inequality and LGBTQ rights across social and traditional media. While the campaign was tremendously successful in spreading awareness and gathering nationwide vocal supporters for the cause, the idea that the demonstration of solidarity through a profile photo could have impact on a law-making body was near- sighted. While the Defense of Marriage Act was struck down and Proposition 8 dismissed, it is highly doubtful that the Supreme Court took into consideration the millions of changed avatars and display photos in their decision-making process. In addition, as the red equal sign image went viral, it wasn’t long before parodies of the image surfaced on the internet, serving to overshadow the progressive message behind this iconic image. Although it was very of-the-moment, in the end this well-intentioned campaign played a minuscule role in the real fight for marriage equality, and was largely an empty gesture of bandwagoning to appear culturally aware. It’s even probable that individuals who chose to voice their beliefs by adopting the red equal signs were simply doing so in a vain attempt at displaying cultural awareness and pop culture bandwagoning. Sadly, in the larger picture, what was perceived by many as taking action for the cause — uploading a new picture which was largely an empty gesture — was in fact an act of slacktivism.
There’s No Shame in Being a Slacktivist
With digital technologies so readily accessible to the masses, it’s inevitable that social activism will surface wherever people congregate. And how else to reach so many with such immediacy? Within the past few years alone, yellow plastic bracelets, pink ribbons, and November-specific moustaches have become recognizable examples of new ways for twenty-first century citizens to show that they are aware of the injustices in the world. To be clear, there’s no real harm in sharing a link on a news event, liking a photo, or retweeting a tweet in the name of charity. In fact, giving a micro-donation is quickly becoming a trend in donating to a worthy cause, and the simplicity — made possible through these technologies — is laudable. As demonstrated by the Arab Spring uprisings, the traditional forms of activism (sit-ins, strikes, and protests) are still very effective methods in instigating social change. It’s okay to click like on a Facebook post from a charity but remember that there are more proactive ways to give back.
iAM March 2014
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