Slacktivism

In the wake of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the recent protests during the inauguration of President Bush, I just want to take a moment to gripe about something that has been on my mind. 

There’s a new term going around, “Slacktivism,” that really hits the proverbial nail on the head that describes this phenomenon.  It’s when people try to do as little as possible yet still want to feel like they’ve done something.  I think it’s because they want the emotional reward of doing something good without actually sacrificing anything doing it.  It is quickly becoming one of my pet peeves.

The latest one was an email rally to protest against the war in Iraq by NOT spending any money on January 20th (Inauguration Day).  The intent was to send the nation’s economy into a tailspin by interrupting cash flow.  To me this is the epitome of slacktivism.  I mean COME ON.  Protesting by sitting on your lazy butt and NOT buying anything for ONE day?  Hmm… I think I’ll try to end world hunger by not cutting my fingernails for a week.  It’s just sad.  And actually, you know.. I think I accidentally took part in that protest because I don’t remember buying anything that day.  Oh man…  will my conservative colleagues ever forgive me? 

Well, maybe the protest did have an effect… I mean the Dow Jones Industrial Average did go down by 25 points that day (out of 10,500)… oh, but wait… it’s back up to the same level today… barely a hiccup.  Oh well… maybe there’s an email petition I can sign somewhere on the internet… And you know what the ironic thing is?  It’s probably the exact target audience of this protest that didn’t actually do it.  Think about it… if you’re too lazy to do anything of substance, you’re probably also one of those people who think someone else will do it because you don’t want to be inconvenienced.  I think that this type of slacktivism means to emulate a good old-fashioned boycott.  But people have to remember that real boycotts can go on for weeks, months, or even years.  The people involved in the boycott usually have to give up something that they actually need.  For example, the bus boycott in Mongomery, AL meant that people had to actually walk to work everyday or find some other means of transport.  The Jan. 20 “boycott” probably just meant that you didn’t get to have your Starbuck’s mocha latte that day… let me cry you a river.

And because of the ease of the internet or the influence of media you see this kind of thing just about everyday.  Here are just some examples…

• Email Petitions – These are those emails that ask you to “sign” it and forward it to everyone in your address book.  It’s tempting because with just a few clicks, you feel like you’re making a difference.  You’re not.  This is flawed for two reasons… one, there is no way to track the identities of everyone that it gets forwarded to… and two, everyone just winds up forwarding it to the same people.  And really, what you are actually doing is creating a high-tech chain letter (and losing friends in the process).
• Driving With Your Lights On – This is where you show your support for the cause-of-the-day by driving around town with your headlights on.  This way you can see all the other slacktivists on the road who also support your cause… unless it’s just that they have full-time running lights… or they just forgot to turn off their lights after going through a tunnel.  But hey, at night it seems that just about EVERYONE is supporting your cause.  I think the only time you actually suffer when doing this is when your battery dies because you went into the office and forgot to turn your lights back off.
• Awareness Ribbon Pins – These are those lapel ribbons that people wear to show that they support some cause.  I’ve really really lost interest in these.  They’re supposed to increase awareness about something, but there are so many different things they represent now that you have to have a reference document to keep track of them all.  I think people wear them as a badge to say, “I care!” but I really hope they’re doing more than wearing a strip of fabric to support it, because really then all it is is posturing.
• Forwarding Emails to Raise Money – Instead of actually donating real money to a cause, people send bogus emails that say a penny will be donated for each forward of the email.  “Hey look!  I can donate a dollar to the cause by sending this on to 100 of my soon-to-be ex-friends!”  Again, there is no way to track the emails or verify that they were sent by actual people so this is about as effective as putting out a forest fire with a squirt gun… filled with gasoline.
• Leaving Your Porch Light On – Apparently this is so that the lights can be seen from outer space to show solidarity for something.  Although I’m sure that the dozen or so astronauts that are up there may be inspired, I don’t think there is much they can do from up there to help.  Personally, I think this is something the local power companies came up with to boost revenue…you know… just to help the economy recover from January 20th.

And actually, I think that slacktivism is not only ineffective, but in a way… a bit counter-productive.  It makes people believe they’re doing something when they’re really not.  It makes people think that they answered their call to duty by meaningless gesturing.  It becomes a psychological “I gave at the office” to an already ambivalent populace.  It satisfies a consumer mentality of receiving the good feeling of activism without any real cost.  This is why it drives me nuts.

Everyday as I drive in to work, I see this crazy looking guy riding his bicycle northbound on the shoulder of the southbound lanes of US-29.  As he pedals in sub-freezing temperatures, he holds up a sign that reads “WAR IS NOT THE ANSWER.”  I have to say that regardless of whether my views match his, I respect him a good deal.  He is out there in the freezing cold risking his safety and being arrested to demonstrate against the war.  His one action stuck with me longer than a thousand emails.

If we aren’t willing to risk our comfort and convenience for what we believe, I don’t think our words mean a hill of beans.  If all we do is complain and not do anything about it, our complaining just sounds like whining… very… annoying… whining.  Like in many things (e.g. voting), regardless of result sometimes the effort is the more important thing.  It shows that our convictions carry real weight for us.  For his convictions Martin Luther King Jr. was repeatedly imprisoned, assaulted and eventually killed.  If all we have to show for it is a day of caffeine withdrawl or a slightly higher electric bill, maybe we should rethink some things.