The Rising Controversy on Social Media Usage in Civil Protests

In times of injustice, humans band together in unified strength. Dating back centuries, peaceful and non-peaceful protesting has been a building block for societal change. In the modern era, we’ve continued this tradition through different methods, including online activism. 

The increasing presence of technology has led to an influx of new perspectives. Not only that, but it’s also allowed for a more transparent view of the justice system. For example, citizens look to police body camera footage to determine the cause of an arrest or crime, allowing for a level of insight that was previously unavailable. 

While technology has led to the advancement of the public eye into previously private social sectors, its primary form of relevancy comes from online activism. Taking shape in many forms, online activism serves as an outlet for protests about social change. Sites such as change.org have allowed users to sign petitions which are later forwarded to justice officials, changing the definition of what qualifies as a “protest.”

Especially in our current state, it’s vital to limit social interaction. With the tragic passing of George Floyd, online activism became more prominent than ever. Instagram accounts organized a “Blackout Tuesday” protest, in which millions of users posted a black screen to promote solidarity. The hashtag received 22 million posts as feeds were flooded with the template. The movement allowed for a strong display of solidarity that wasn’t limited by location or any other factors and sent a strong message of love to the African-American community. 

However, online activism has come under recent speculation. While users may claim to be “supporting” a specific cause, an unfortunate wave of performance activism occurs on social media forums. “Performance activism” is generally described as the action of supporting a particular reason to look “trendy” (i.e., saying “Black Lives Matter” but willingly deciding not to attend a protest).  

Social media gives users a way to endorse movements without putting in a large amount of time, discrediting the idea. While someone may reshare a template describing a social issue, most users never actually act upon the statements they claim to love. 

Unfortunately, performance activism makes up the majority of social media protesting, creating a paradox. One user shares a post to their friends, who then continue to share that post to more people who simply repost the image, but nobody takes any action to support the idea. While most activism is done with good intentions, the internet has given citizens an easy way out. This increasing trend has harmed the credibility of legitimate causes since social media protesting is generally looked at as unreliable, trivial, and stagnant. 

While the internet has expanded the possibility of social change, it’s crucial to provide substantial progress instead of “awareness.” Spreading awareness is excellent, don’t get me wrong, but it only serves as a positive benchmark if the actual change stems from it. There’s no point in magnifying an issue if we don’t take action. As we start to redefine what is classified as a “movement,” it’s important to distinguish the genuine online protesting from the facade-like reposting of viral material.