Kawaii Riot 101: Performative Activism
Performative activism is defined as activism that is done or performed to increase one's social capital instead of devotion to the cause. It is surface-level activism that goes by another name, "slacktivism."
Social media is a blessing and a curse. Despite the ease of acquiring information, social media is a tool that can benefit or harm entire groups. Today we explore what performative activism is and its relevance to advocacy.
Reminder: It is a Movement, Not a Trend
There are several spaces in our society that call for social change. At the center of these movements is information that is crucial to enacting actions for change. Writing communicates information effectively. As our society evolves, the ways that we communicate evolves with us. We see this evolution of writing and communication in our media, with infographics, visual tools, and social media. Activism now involves more than just writing engagement. Social media has become a quickly accessible tool to provide information to the public. Websites like Facebook and Twitter serve as a powerhouse for quickly spreading information and news, but can easily become places to share misinformation as well. In the digital age, the power of a movement ties to the relevancy of a trendy hashtag. This is unfortunate because a movement is more than a passing trend.
History of Performative Activism
At the dawn of powerful hashtags, some movements relied on the efficiency of social media to further share information. Politicians used platforms to lobby for voters and encourage their agenda. We saw the negatives of social media with Trump's election in 2016. Despite harrowing political agendas, social media became a space where the call to action is tied to the use of a hashtag. The #Metoo movement in 2017 spread like wildfire on social media. It allowed more open conversations about sexual abuse and a call for justice in every level of society. However, with the power of a hashtag, everyone could participate in sharing content and perspectives on varying movements whether their intentions were good or not. This freedom took away instances of vulnerability and courage and turned them into ridicule and memes. We saw this backlash when men spoke up for #metoo and how society turned away comfort and understanding from men who experienced sexual assault. Social media became the quick-fire platform to share political opinions and alignments, and the fast spread of information transformed social media into a space where users could prioritize attention and social capital over the need for advocacy.
Social media grants well-intentioned and accessible advocacy, but people tend to stop after a couple of posts. Going further into our timeline of social media activism in 2019, political actions tended to be defined by what we see on social media. Politics meshed with everyone's social media culture taking away from advocacy done off-screen. Activism appeared to be something seen on social media instead of the actions done to enact social change. This looked like people sharing information but not taking steps to learn or help the cause. It allowed trends to become moments in time where people readily admitted to caring about a cause on social media but not anywhere else. A movement only mattered when it was trending, and not much more after that. This is an issue that has been reoccurring in our society for years. Combatting performative activism is difficult when nearly anyone can partake in it.
Performative Activism in 2020
You may recall the black squares that popped up on social media during the early summer. The intention of the black squares was to remove non-Black presence from social media for a day and allow for Black voices to have stronger presence. This idea is similar to the social media “Blackout Tuesday” concept, where Black artists and creatives share content from one another in order to boost their presence. The black squares on Instagram, however, did not have that positive impact. The concept for the squares came from an unknown and unaffiliated source with no known ties to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Those same squares actually caused harm towards the tag by blocking out information about protests, marches, and other life-saving information for people doing the groundwork. In the end, the black squares overwhelmed social media, and no one knew why or where the idea came from.
This is not the first time misinformation hit trend status. On top of seeing our favorite celebrities, influencers, and businesses participate in the social media blackout for a day, we also experienced the lackluster actions posted that day of the blackout. It did not matter that your favorite celebrity did little to nothing else for the BLM movement so long as they posted the black square on social media. That one square was just enough to say they cared, right? WRONG. Doing more does matter. Without holding themselves accountable for their previous complacency in social injustice, they can continue to behave in ways that are harmful to the movement. The black square did not help the cause, did not provide information, and did nothing but keep one day of silence on social media. It was a time that called for more than silence. If we think about this action critically, no aspect of the black square helped in the way it was supposed to.
Writers for a long time have kept a record of our history and growth as a society. It is essential to examine any information provided over the web. Keeny states, "Writing should also permeate the boundaries of academia and especially the social sciences" (2014), meaning that we should challenge the content we are consuming and its relevance to its purpose. In many ways, social media created mini writers and contributors to human history; with that said, we can be more critical of the content we put out in the world.
How do I avoid Performative Activism on Social Media?
Choose action over performance! These are great tips on what you can do to avoid the trap of slacktivism on social media.
Fact Check your content before sharing!
Ask yourself if this content is coming from a reliable source! Don't just share anything. Make sure you are well informed on the content that you are spreading into your socials. A quick google search will allow you to see whether or not this is essential information or fuel the fire.
Donate to organizations or communities fighting the issues!
Consider ways to donate either time, resources, or money to help make a difference. Protesters all over could use things like water, rides to marches, and more! Creating lunch bags is another great way of donating to causes or local issues. Help with flyers and printing resource materials for your local non-profit or community-led educational spaces. When in doubt, donating to these organizations and supporting communities is always helpful.
Share content with mindfulness in mind
Before you share, ask yourself if the content will potentially harm or trigger the affected community. Sharing police brutality videos, for example, does more harm than good! Consider instead raising awareness without sharing violence to do so. Add in trigger warnings as a way to warn your content viewers of potential emotional exhaustion.
Educate yourself and be open to being educated by others
Be open to education both self-led and by voices within the affected community. Engage with activists, educators, and community members who are vocal about these issues. Ask questions respectfully, but keep in mind that you can self-lead your education on issues.
Going Forward
Next up, it’s time to monitor how social media is a great resource but shouldn't be the only actions of advocacy one takes. In the article, Slacktivism: Social Media Activism and Its Effectiveness Abby writes, "[it is] a mistake for ‘slacktivists’ to view their clicks, shares, and tweets as the comprehensive, meaningful, intentional engagement of an issue.”. While engaging on social media, make sure you are taking time to educate yourself and make sure you are well informed on the issue you are sharing. For more information, take a look at this ted talk on slacktivism.
Citations
Keeney, S. S. (2014). Performative writing as tool for social change. Theory in Action, 7(2), 1-15. doi:http://dx.doi.org.libproxy.howardcc.edu/10.3798/tia.1937-0237.14008
