The Power of "Slacktivism"

Natalie Fang
CCS 313
Blog Post #3

                A month ago, Oxford dictionary named their word of the year vape. Among those in the running was the term "slacktivism," a merging of the words "slacker" and "activism," defined as "actions performed via the Internet in support of a political or social cause but regarded as requiring little time or involvement." In a time where your Facebook activity is almost as important as what's on your resume, it's easy to see how this term came to be. However, denouncing those who sign an online petition to show that they "care" undermines actual progress on causes via the internet.

                Henry Jenkins describes the convergence of old and new media in "Photoshop for Democracy." In the chapter, Jenkins backs the use of the internet by grassroots organizers to mobilize. Jenkins says that the difference between the Internet and TV news is that the Internet reaches the hardcore while TV news sways the undecided (224). I don't find this to be completely true. As a recipient of Internet media, I would take the stance that the Internet gives voice to the hardcore and informs the uninformed and undecided. It seems apparent in sites such as twitter and Tumblr, where users are given access to thousands of individuals and use that access to spread information about certain issues in a digestible way. Terms like slacktivism take away that agency from these Internet activists.

                More so now than ever, the public relies on sites like twitter to receive the truth. With the problems in Ferguson, igniting a movement throughout the nation, and even reaching overseas, social media has become the keystone connecting all the protesters. It also gives the public a firsthand account of the actions which they can't expect from news sources, which are unabashedly filtered through bias. It is not a surprise that during the press conference announcing the grand jury decision in the Ferguson case, Prosecutor Robert McCulloch in his second breathe expressed concern over the social media presence over this case and issue. "McCulloch acknowledges that much of the social media coverage has been fueled b public frustration with the lack of information coming from his office or the police," but also claims that this social media flood is filled with speculations and is inevitable harmful to the case as a whole. But McCulloch fails to acknowledge the power that this noise stirred up in social media has had on the movement. The growth of the numerous hashtags named after the endless list of black individuals unlawfully gunned down by police in recent months has kept this issue in conversation on older media sources.

Works Cited

Jenkins, Henry. "Photoshop for Democracy." Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: New York UP, 2006. 217-50. Print.

Scola, Nancy. "Ferguson Prosecutor Slams "Non-Stop" Social Media While Calling for Increased Attention to Race." The Washington Post. N.p., 25 Nov. 2014. Web. 6 Dec. 2014.