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Started 1 year ago by takeasiesta
Latest reply from kalencap

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takeasiesta
Harrison West
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This whole discussion about how to deal with BP reminds me of an NPR piece on Slacktivism.

Slacktivism: an apt term to describe feel-good online activism that has zero political or social impact. It gives those who participate in "slacktivist" campaigns an illusion of having a meaningful impact on the world without demanding anything more than joining a Facebook group.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104302141

Are the publicity gains gained through this greater reliance on new media worth the organizational losses that traditional activists entities are likely to suffer, as ordinary people would begin to turn away from conventional (and proven) forms of activism (demonstrations, sit-ins, confrontation with police, strategic litigation, etc) and embrace more "slacktivist" forms, which may be more secure but whose effectiveness is still largely unproven?

Posted 1 year ago #
jeff_r

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Which generation is the "lazy generation" he's referring to? That seems like a pretty broad generalization for someone with academic credentials.

Also, online/new media/web 2.0 activism and live/in-person activism aren't mutually exclusive. People can do both. I expect many do.

Posted 1 year ago #
mt448
New Albany
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@takeasiesta: I don't know if this relates exactly, but I see the point...bc I had been getting quite a few Facebook requests to support seniors who did not pass the OGT...so they could walk at graduation. Call me old-fashioned, but if you want to make a change, you may have to do more than sit on your couch with a laptop. I am sure many people do participate in both, as Jeffr suggested...but I think there is a valid thought in this (although, I still refuse to associate myself,a GenXer, as a slacker).

Posted 1 year ago #
Manatee
The eternal present
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The good news is, the networking potential of the internet more than makes up for some of its vapidity.

The internet makes it soooo much easier for sincere, hard-working activists to get things done. Internet + IRL activism = more efficient activism.

Posted 1 year ago #
Tenzo
Chicago Lakeshore
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Manatee wrote >>
The good news is, the networking potential of the internet more than makes up for some of its vapidity.
The internet makes it soooo much easier for sincere, hard-working activists to get things done. Internet + IRL activism = more efficient activism.

I agree except for one part of your formula
it should be Internet * IRL Activism = more.

Doing zero on one variable and not the other results in zero

Posted 1 year ago #
takeasiesta
Harrison West
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@jeff_r I think he's referring to people that are college-aged and younger that had grown up always having a computer, nicknamed "Generation Me."

There is a huge difference between being an online activist and being a person that just adds to the noise and bombards people with stuff whether it's an email forward or a facebook group. I get sick of getting constant notifications about crap that really doesn't matter in the long term. Things like "Raise awareness but adding this ribbon to your profile" or join this facebook group. The thing that made me livid like six months ago was when women were putting what color bra they were wearing in their profile to "raise breast cancer awareness," when all I was thinking about was that some women that survived breast cancer have had double mastectomies can't even wear a bra. Stuff like that is just a backwards way of getting attention and not helping anyone.

Posted 1 year ago #
SusanB
Hungarian Village, Columbus' fastest growing Gayborhood!
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he thing that made me livid like six months ago was when women were putting what color bra they were wearing in their profile to "raise breast cancer awareness," when all I was thinking about was that some women that survived breast cancer have had double mastectomies can't even wear a bra. Stuff like that is just a backwards way of getting attention and not helping anyone.

OK, token breast cancer double mastectomy person here and don't get too upset about it for me. Us survivors have to have a good, fairly dark sense of humor about all that we've been through. Being that I have fake silicon boobies now I will never need a bra again. I'll be 90, god willing and I'll have perky boobs even though the rest of me will be all wrinkly and droopy :)

Ok, back to the thread.....

Posted 1 year ago #
alexs
Limestone bluffs of the Scioto
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I maintain the website for FOSR but I don't want to commit the time to maintaining a presence on social media. I can use the website to introduce us and explain our goals, and illustrate what we have done toward those goals.

Before unproductive social media content, there was unproductive hardcopy like brochures and doorknob flyers. We invested in advertisements in local print media, with zero results.

I prefer to focus the group's resources on actually getting things done and making visible changes around the river. Then people come to us because they've heard of us or seen what we've done.

One worthwhile media investment has been to participate in events like update2010.org and listing our worksites. On one year, we had one person register online for our event, but on the morning of the event, 30 people showed up out of nowhere.

Posted 1 year ago #
kalencap
Columbus, OH
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Personally, I think some of the activites that would be categorized as slacktivism may eventually lead to more meaningful involvement in direct action later on. Persons willing to spend ten minutes today for an issue may be more willing to spend ten hours for that issue a year from now, four days for a conference two years from now, and so on.

I don't know that any involvement is increased by discounting the simpler forms of activism. I feel a better approach would be to thank folks for what they do, and then stress how much more can be accomplished by doing more direct action activities.

Posted 1 year ago #