We're all Slacktivists

By now we’ve all at least heard of the Kony2012 video, if not watched the entire plea, urging people to help rid Uganda of Joseph Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army.

Through this and other similar social media phenomenon, I’ve been introduced to word that’s relatively new to my vocabulary: Slacktivism.

The concept is simple and thrives off of anyone engaged in social media and motivated enough to hit the share button. To protest, support or engage in any issue, you don’t actually have to get up, move or do much of anything anymore. Thanks to social media sharing, everything you need to become a slacktivist lies in the palm of your hand, literally.

Surely the occupy Wall Street movement would’ve garnered an even greater following had they shifted the movement to “Occupy Facebook Timeline.”

I’ve read various reports citing that each time a person shares content on their facebook page it is seen by an average of 135-140 people. When multiplied even a few times over, images, videos and articles become viral- the results of which you see everyday from your friends and family via your favorite social media channels. I suppose that makes us all slacktivists to some degree- whether it’s your favorite animal rescue, food pantry or other charity. Naturally, we ‘like’ their Facebook pages and posts, but what are we actually doing to actually help the cause itself?

This leads me to contemplate the true impact of slacktivism. If you’re an organization simply trying to raise awareness for a cause, then slacktivists undoubtedly are your best friend (if the message is right). If your call to action is more than two mouse clicks away, you’ll likely not receive the social splash you’re hoping for.

The leap between a viral social statement and fully-engaged activism requires a lot passion and a strong call to action- one that hasn’t yet been done with overwhelming success. The Kony 2012 movement has made an effort to blur the lines between slacktivism and activism by encouraging people to sign up for an action kit and take to the streets April 20th- we’ll just have to wait and see if the millions of people worldwide who posted this video to facebook jump to their feet and make a statement.