Here we are, in the throes of the coronavirus, and its ensuing economic collapse. I will post soon on its effects on health and wellness advocacy at our public school, but first a post about the deluge of social media activism related to the recent protests, riots, and subsequent movements on racial issues.
In my years of advocating at the school and in our city, I have always seen that posts on social media and replies to those posts, as well as to news articles, really have no effect whatsoever on the issue itself. They DON’T MOVE THE NEEDLE AT ALL.
Then I just learned the technical term for this activity: Performative Activism. This concept has actually been around for a while! However, due to current events, it has resurfaced again.
If you want to make change in your community and on your issue, you need to do more than just put up a post, or complain in reply to a news article. That does nothing. If anything, the only thing it does is make you feel better. Hey, I DID SOMETHING. I posted my support. Now I feel better. Well, that is fine and all but the world doesn’t go around measuring the number of social media posts as a gauge for where it needs to go.
In order for real change to happen, you need to get out there and do the work. You need to get out and talk to the people in charge. You need to talk to others to gather support to make meaningful change. You may also need to do work on yourself, which may be even harder than doing the necessary things outside yourself. Sitting in the safety of your home and posting on the internet doesn’t do anything at all in either the issue nor in yourself.
Advocacy takes a lot of time and energy. It is fulfilling work. It would be nice if we could be armchair advocates but if we want real change, the effort requires a LOT more than that.