ACTivism. It's a word we seem to use too lightly nowadays. Can we really call someone who donates a dollar one time or shares a post on Facebook once an activist? Where should we draw the line? It's a complicated question and I cannot promise to give the right answer, but I can share my thoughts on the subject. And as a note to any skeptics, I would like to make it clear that I am in no way trying to imply that my definition will encompass the true meaning of the word, in fact, it will most certainly be lacking.
Here's my vision of the word...
ACTivism: Resisting the temptation to live in ignorance. Making the effort to understand. Having to courage to act to change an injustice.
There are two aspects of this definition that should be emphasized. First, the part of understanding the cause and the methods required to actually take action is essential in activism. One cannot be an true activist by blindly following others without knowing and understanding the issues or considering the best methods to use to succeed. Making educated decisions about how to be active towards a cause is crucial, whether you are simply donating or actively participating in an organization, thsese actions can either be helpful or tremendously harmful. Take for example people that donate or take up collections, like clothes; though their intentions are good, their actions cause more harm than good. The importation of free goods into places like Africa are detrimental to the factories and merchants that sell these goods. Furthermore, people don't seem to think about the the fact that an enormous amount of the donated funds are used for shipping costs or advertisements. In short, it's not enough to simply act without thought. (Read more about bad charities here).
Secondly, thought in itself is not enough either. I capitalized the first three letters of the word because activism cannot be activism without action. Sitting around and thinking about the starving children in the world will not feed them, thinking about how people are dying from infectious diseases is not going to save them.
Here's my vision of the word...
ACTivism: Resisting the temptation to live in ignorance. Making the effort to understand. Having to courage to act to change an injustice.
There are two aspects of this definition that should be emphasized. First, the part of understanding the cause and the methods required to actually take action is essential in activism. One cannot be an true activist by blindly following others without knowing and understanding the issues or considering the best methods to use to succeed. Making educated decisions about how to be active towards a cause is crucial, whether you are simply donating or actively participating in an organization, thsese actions can either be helpful or tremendously harmful. Take for example people that donate or take up collections, like clothes; though their intentions are good, their actions cause more harm than good. The importation of free goods into places like Africa are detrimental to the factories and merchants that sell these goods. Furthermore, people don't seem to think about the the fact that an enormous amount of the donated funds are used for shipping costs or advertisements. In short, it's not enough to simply act without thought. (Read more about bad charities here).
Secondly, thought in itself is not enough either. I capitalized the first three letters of the word because activism cannot be activism without action. Sitting around and thinking about the starving children in the world will not feed them, thinking about how people are dying from infectious diseases is not going to save them.
Some meaningful action is required, whether it be educating others to raise awareness, participating in organizations dedicated to a cause or actively protesting an injustice. At this point, one might ask: what about participating in relays to raise funds or pressing "Like" on a Facebook page? These actions, I would place under the category of slacktivism. In this category we can group all of the things people do with minimal effort to feel better about themselves under the guise of being activists. It's perfectly fine to share Facebook posts, wearing wristbands and other paraphernalia to advertise causes, and donating money, because these actions will help a cause. But, let's make something perfectly clear,
slacktivism is NOT activism.
As such, it does not seem right that people that fall under the first category can call themselves activists.
slacktivism is NOT activism.
As such, it does not seem right that people that fall under the first category can call themselves activists.
Having said that, it cannot be denied that there is a need for slacktivists in order for activists to succeed in this age of technology and social media. For example, the fastest way to raise funding for a cause is by the use of social media and the Internet.
However, not all use of social media can be categorized as slacktivism, as I will demonstrated in the following pages.