From social media to news outlets, it’s easy to stay politically engaged. Brands create identities based on political issues, blurring the lines between genuine activism and performative politics.
Activism with meaning has been at the forefront of our history since the American Revolution. From the Civil Rights Movement to women’s suffrage to environmental protection, the U.S. has made significant progress due to bravery.
In the modern age, however, social media has made it increasingly easier to brand yourself as an activist without actually putting in the work of marches, sit-ins, strikes, petitions, boycotts and community organizing.
Political and social activism is the art of changing current politics, policies and culture to support anything from human rights to the environment. It often sees heightened support, serving as both good and bad on social media.
The No Kings movement to end authoritarian-like policies and protests against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement have taken off largely on social media. Many protest announcements circulated on social media to gain traction for people to show up and fight for change.
On Ohio University’s campus and around Athens, activism took physical form with protests against Israel, No Kings and OU’s compliance with Senate Bill 1any of which were publicized on social media.
The rise of social media activism and its ability to make a difference dates back to 2017 when the #MeToo movement was created in response to sexual harassment and assault. The movement largely gained attention by utilizing a hashtag in its campaign, which made it go viral on the Internet, allowing a safe space for survivors to speak out about their experiences with sexual violence.
Yet, bringing legitimacy to activism doesn’t stop at social media reposts; it also involves protesting, covering protests or donating.
One of the most infamous cases of social media activism was the Blackout Tuesday posts, which supported the Black Lives Matter movement. The movement was supported by activists to support policy change following the murder of George Floyd.
The idea was to pause regular posting in a stance against police brutality and acknowledge the privilege that white Americans possess. The movement, however, involved posting black squares to show support to followers, many then deleting them later that day. The way to truly show support was to get up and make an active, real change.
According to Pew Research Center, 24% of U.S. social media users posted in support of BLM, but only 7% of U.S. adults say they actually attended a protest. There is a massive divide between online activism and genuine activism.
Oftentimes, social media can become a distraction for genuine activism. Reposts, retweets, likes and stories can certainly help get the word out there, but only doing that is not enough when it comes to getting out and protesting, holding officials accountable and sparking genuine change.
Acknowledging the negative effects social media can have on activism is a start to true advocacy. Social media can disconnect and distract people from the cause according to 77% of Black adults, 75% of Hispanic non-white adults, 82% of Asian adults and 85% of white adults.
Online activism can help amplify marginalized voices and promote protests. Social media is the greatest form of interconnected communication available for people to use for activism.
Regardless of the negative side effects referring to distractions caused by social media, action cannot be completed without talking about human rights violations, environmental protections and authoritarian policies. It’s inherently better to inform people than to stay silent, even on social media.
However, online activism without action only stays online. Without real change made through protests, sit-ins and marches, we would be years behind in anything from human rights to climate change.
Getting your followers to attend protests with you emphasizes the use of online activism. Strictly policing people on social media is not a form of activism until it can be backed up with genuine change.
To delete your beliefs and voice on social media makes you performative; whereas, attending protests and making a change creates an activist. Only uplifting causes temporarily on you feed creates the illusion that you care, but not having the sustained effort of change.
OU has many activist resources in creating change and highlighting the need for campus protests. Following social justice organizations on campus allows students to stay updated and informed on protests going on around Athens.
Interacting with posts simply isn’t enough if you don’t stand hand in hand with students trying to make a change. Social and political activism has created some of the most genuine change in America, but nowadays, hiding behind a screen can only do so much for change. We should want to continue our efforts on the streets as much as we do on our feeds.
Chase Borland is a junior studying journalism strategic communications at Ohio University. The views and opinions of this columnist do not necessarily reflect those of The Post. If you have any thoughts, questions or concerns then you can contact him at cb297222@ohio.edu.
