Slacktivism, Explained

I always imagined that if I was alive in the 1970s, I would have been a hippie. Maybe this is just because I grew up in San Francisco, or because I look good in circle-frame glasses. But I really feel like I would have participated in marches with my hair in two long braids. Since I was born in the late 90s instead, I have a far easier way to get involved with social activism: I click “Like”; or maybe, “Share.” If I feel passionately about a cause, I might even… change my profile picture. Sounds anticlimactic? Yeah, to me, too. 

Some of this couch activism – slacktivism, if you will – isn’t my fault. We’re bombarded with so many different causes that it can feel hard to choose just one issue to commit to. If I expended large amounts of energy for a cause like climate change, then I feel guilty that I didn’t do the same for women’s issues. But throwing myself into multiple causes can leave me feeling drained, and less useful.

It doesn’t help that it seems that the main form of active activism in my generation is participating in marches. I admire marches, and I’ve participated in several. But large crowds trigger my anxiety, and I always find myself feeling more stressed and claustrophobic than passionate.

And truly, I don’t hate the “Share” and “Like” culture form of caring. I like seeing what my friends are passionate about. I want to show my support for causes in any way I can, even if all I can contribute is a brief social media acknowledgment. The main problem is that, more often than not, I don’t follow up with my engagement. It’s rare that I donate money, rare that I go to a website, or participate in an event, or even volunteer. It doesn’t mean I don’t care; it just means I’m lazy.

I’m a firm believer that there are easy solutions to this laziness. It’s easy for me to feed my laziness by saying things like, “It’s so hard to sign up”; “I don’t know anyone who’s going”; or, “I would go if this was 1977.” 

This is not to say that everybody in my generation suffers from the same afflictions that I do. I know many people who are in the streets, working with nonprofits, and on the ground floor of many, many issues. But I also think those people are the amazing, wonderful minority. I think most of us are shaking our heads in frustration at the news, then changing channels and settling into Friends again.  

The thing is, people my age want to get involved. We care about so much. It’s not an issue about sympathy or compassion; it’s an issue of follow-through. 

My parents might disagree with me, but I don’t believe that social media is the downfall of society. Sometimes social media might make it easy for us to “care” publicly but not actually participate in social issues. But if done right, I think we can use social media, and apps, and technology to engage with our communities, make more real contributions, and feel more like we are participating in something we care about.

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Today's post was written by Tatjana Freund, a contributing writer at Swipe Life

Tatjana Freund grew up in San Francisco and has worked with nonprofits both in the Bay Area and New York.

She has also worked in social media and marketing for various companies and publications.

She is currently senior at Barnard College in New York.

You can follow her work on instagram and get in touch with her directly via email.