As social media platforms like Instagram are expanding to take up a significant part of young people’s digital footprint and engagement, social media activism is also becoming more common. You can often see people reposting or sharing posts about certain issues they are passionate about or feel the need to inform others on. Social media platforms are becoming a gateway for young people to voice their opinions about different societal issues or important incidents around the world. Around 67% of the Gen Z population uses Instagram on a daily basis. The power and influence that social media has on young people can not be ignored. It is growing into a platform of self-expression, where many are choosing to advocate for social issues.
BBC News released an article regarding Black Lives Matter as “Black Lives Matter: From social media post to global movement.” This proves the amount of influence that social media activism is having by raising awareness of issues that need to be highlighted. On Blackout Tuesday, over 28 million people were posting black squares on Instagram. This was in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Celebrities like Rihanna, Drake, Ariana Grande, Mariah Carey, and many more also joined in on this social media movement. Blackout Tuesday was shared through news organizations on an international level, showing the significant effect the movement had in raising awareness of the Black Lives Matter movement. However, this social media movement had also received criticism regarding the lack of tangible actions and changes these social media activists were making. People started to argue that posting a black square or sharing posts on social media is not enough, as the practicality of social media advocacy is limited. Some started to call social media activism a trap for fake advocacy. The fact that Instagram users were actively posting about issues didn’t mean that they were taking further steps such as researching about the issue or donating to support victims of these social issues.
The same discrepancy had arisen regarding COVID-19. The anti-mask rallies that took place in front of Calgary’s city hall were events that provoked anger in a lot of people. Posts about the rallies were posted on several different individual social media platforms, with comments that were expressing disappointment and frustration towards the people attending the rally. However, the same people who had posted about anti-mask rallies also shared posts of them hanging out with others without their masks on. Their actions were contradicting with their advocacy on social media, which once again highlighted the discrepancy that can arise with social media activism and taking action. This reinforced the idea of performative activism, where devotion to the cause these users were sharing about could not be found.
Reposting or sharing different stories through social media is effective in raising awareness of issues and initiating discussions around topics that should be talked about. As easy as it is to repost a post by The New York Times or other news organizations, social media activism leaves a lot of room for users to think that them reposting is enough to make a change in society. In order to avoid performative activism or surface-level activism, continuous research about the issue needs to be done. There are more tangible ways to advocate for issues like social equality or to help those affected by social injustice. Social media is a great way for young people to share their thoughts and probably one of the more far-reaching ways to share information with the people in their social circle. However, in order to make social media activism effective, everyone must start making the change that they are constantly sharing about. Social media advocacy should become a tool to advocate for issues and not the only form of advocacy. As the influence of social media activism is growing, it is important to consider ways to create a real, tangible impact that will lead to positive societal change.