‘Slacktivism’, ‘Wokefishing’, and What to Know About Social Media Activism

Is sharing a post enough?

It’s a fantastic way to bring awareness to issues you care about and many large-scale global movements have been borne from hashtags and Insta posts, such as #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter. Just recently, Chanel Contos brought consent education to the attention of Australian Parliament via an online petition.

While there are many benefits to social media activism, there are also some disadvantages to be aware of. You might have noticed people engaging in superficial acts of support that don’t quite sit right with you. Or some information may just seem too simplified.

Here are some things to be aware of when navigating social media activism.

‘Slacktivism’ often doesn’t create meaningful engagement with social issues.

The Urban Dictionary defines “slacktivism” as “the self-deluded idea that by liking, sharing, or retweeting something you are helping out.”

🔎Slacktivism:

practice of supporting a political or social cause by means such as social media or online petitions, characterised as involving very little effort or commitment. pic.twitter.com/1AqHKvvwNp

— Politics & Society @ Maynooth Post Primary School (@PolSocMaynooth) December 9, 2021

While there’s no harm in re-sharing a post or pledging your allyship to a certain cause, it’s important to be aware that these are usually not meaningful contributions—at least in the long-term.

A field study on slacktivism found that an online campaign with 6.4 million user engagements only received… 30 physical donations.

The reason online campaigns can be so inefficient (aside from raising awareness) is that there is a lack of accountability, and lower participation costs. Literally anyone can appear as though they care about something by sharing it to their story—whether or not they act on it is a different story.

Be sure to fact check and do more research on Instagram infographics.

Infographics can be great! They’re quick and easy to read, often aesthetic to look at and easily shareable to your friends, family and followers.

The intention behind them is usually good—people with specific knowledge or passion about a social issue want to simplify the information so more people can understand it.

But this is a double-edged sword.

Complicated geopolitical and social issues can never really be simplified into a carousel of photos. There are multiple perspectives to be considered, and by nature of quick and attention-grabbing social posts, this is difficult to convey.

These posts can contribute directly to slacktivism if they’re shared among people who may want to get on board with the issue but have no interest in diving in any further.

You can instead use these infographics as a springboard to do your own research or engage with people who might have expertise in the area!

Be aware of ‘wokefishing’ and performative activism.

Unfortunately, it’s not completely uncommon for someone to pretend they have political views that align with yours in order to become closer to you.

This is a phenomenon coined by VICE journalist Serena Smith. ‘Wokefishing’ is the practice of pretending to hold political views for some kind of gain.

In a broader sense, though, people often lie about their political views in order to fit into general situations. If you’ve just started dating someone and what they say and do begin to not line up, just be aware that wokefishing is a very real possibility.

So what can you do?

It is perfectly fine to continue engaging with activist content on social media!

As long as you’re aware of certain consequences, you’ll be able to get a more meaningful experience out of it.

Ask yourself: “how am I supplementing my activism?" This could be by donating directly to certain causes, volunteering your time, taking time to have conversations with people, or only buying from certain businesses.

Social media has the potential to be leveraged for really important causes, so more power to you!

Header image: Canva.