Although the disruption has garnered mixed responses and much criticism, it doesn’t seem debatable that their actions required bravery, and that it also demonstrated the very essence of activism. To me, activism has always meant swimming upstream against a powerful current that has raged on for centuries. Activism is persistence. Activism is struggle. But lately it seems that the idea and/or definition of activism is changing by way of the internet.
Thanks to Google, raising awareness on social justice issues has become a much easier lift — there are countless resources that offer in-depth analysis and outlines and infographics to everyone with a smartphone. Through social media, the internet has provided a platform to raise up the voices of many who have long been unheard, disempowered and disregarded.
Instead of uniting in solidarity, it feels like we have turned acceptable activism into a competition.
But how far do we go in assessing the benefit of the internet regarding activism and awareness, and what does that say about us as a society? If an issue gaining traction in activist circles hadn’t first trended on Twitter, would anyone still care that it happened? Soon the question becomes: What is more important — the issue or the online presence of the activist? Online activism has given many people recognition and notoriety for their work, but it seems as though the spotlight never stops shining on their Twitter accounts, which creates this pressure to always be “on” — up to date, advocating, and certainly not talking about anything silly or shallow, lest you lose your activist.
Every post and repost becomes part of an activist’s personal brand. If you tweet about Drake’s new diss track instead of the last unarmed black youth who was gunned down by the police, it seems there is an almost immediate backlash suggesting that you’re not true to the cause. Obviously, the ongoing killing of black lives is horrific, but the problem with assuming someone is prioritizing one of two disparate things over the other is that it oversimplifies issues. And as someone who discovered advocacy and the modern culture of social justice through social media, I find the infighting to be a dangerous detractor from the movement.
Social justice issues are big and complicated matters that can be very confusing to young people trying to stay informed and aware, and to participate in the national discourse. There are thousands of stories and perspectives cropping up every day. It is impossible to have perfect knowledge of all issues, and often the judgement passed for not being well-enough informed or not sharing certain opinions is harmful and inspires in-fighting rather than working together to fight the system. Instead of uniting in solidarity, it feels like we have turned acceptable activism into a competition. Somehow when the objective is to break hierarchies of power, we have created one of our own.
So maybe instead of sending that tweet berating someone who has not responded to the latest turmoil in a way you find properly activist in tenor, just delete it — we need to hold each other accountable, but we also need to focus on the cause more than focusing on the policing of individuals who don’t meet the exact standards of today’s activist. Activism is persistence. Activism is struggle. Activism is a battle. But we can’t turn inward on ourselves in the struggle.
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