Activism campaigns were initially carried out by everyday people on the streets like the Montgomery Bus Boycott, however, Social Media enables the opportunity for online social movements. While these campaigns intend for action to take place the issue of slacktivism “where the real-life impact of the activities is limited; the main effect is to enhance the feel-good factor for participants” is questionable.
In 2014 the UN campaign ‘HeForShe’ was launched by Actress and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson. HeForShe is an activist campaign advocating for gender equality. It calls for men to support this movement that Watson stated was considered a “struggle for women by women”. Watson’s speech aimed to promote but also explore the concept of Feminism, as it is explicitly defined: “the social political and economic equality of the sexes.” Redifing the popular misconception that exists, that Feminism is only regarding the advocacy of women’s rights.
HeForShe initially was a website that has since expanded onto various social networking platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube cooperating to raise awareness for their campaign. So far, HeForShe has received 1,303,439,465 signatures for their online petition; from men and women showing their support for the social movement of equality. While this number is high and increasing daily it only indicates support, not actual progress.
HeForShe’s website is peppered with ways to show support; from donations to action kits (advising how to implement change in your own environment) to educational books and films. However “Social media can’t provide what social change has always required” and that’s action. In this sense, the HeForShe campaign, while informative and slowly progressing in notoriety exemplifies Slacktivism in that there is a feel-good aspect of pledging support for gender equality but a lack of real change. Marches were impactful in the past and the Women’s March this year was similarly effective; perhaps if HeForShe wants to enhance their impact the retired picket signs may, in fact, be the best way to go.
S.Hurdley ~ MDIA104 