Author: Michael Wells

It seems that you cannot turn on the television without seeing another group with their clashing ideas. It is one thing to express and fight for your beliefs but it is something entirely different to physically hurt others. It is the year 2017 and you would have thought that people would have learned this lesson by now. However, what is evidenced whenever we tune in to the news, this is hardly the case.

This is why it is important to take the time and learn on how you can be an effective yet responsible fighter for your cause. We are not naming any specific cause simply because these tips apply to any cause out there. Everyone has something they believe in, after all. Here are some tips to carry with you when you are thinking of being an activist:

Grieve first

Whenever there is a cause that needs to be fought for, it comes standard that something was offensive to begin with. Feelings are a pretty powerful thing—this is what primarily manages to propel people from their homes into the streets. However, as useful and driving emotions are you need to grieve first. It is completely fine to be in shock but you should not use it as a stick to beat other people with.

You need to sort out your shock and your anger before you start going out into the world. While it is fine to be angry, you should not carry it with you. This is what causes the clashes and unfortunate injuries and casualties. Your cause will suffer if your actions do not back up what you are fighting for. Remember, before you go out, you need to grieve first.

Get organized

Before you start to make your placards and signs, it would be foolish to simply go out where “a gathering is going to be”. You need to establish an actual support system. Find groups that are legitimate and share the same values as you. It would not be healthy or ethical to join a group that advocates for violence or further hatred.

This is something that must be done with care. There are, sadly, fake groups that seek to malign you once you share your opinions and use your social media to get in touch. Visit public groups and read old posts. See how certain groups respond to hatred. This can help give you a standard to uphold.

Know your limits and capability

You do not have to support your cause in the same way that others do. There is simply no sense in forcing people to do so. However, there are a lot of ways in which you can support your cause. Find out what you are able to do: coordinate, offer legal advice, be an interpreter, etc.

Do not give into pressure of doing more for the cause than what you are comfortable with. Keep these pointers in mind and you can truly be an asset to your cause instead of a liability.

Since the revolution of IT and social media, more and more people are able to express their views about certain societal issues from the comfort of their homes. This has given rise to the concept of “slacktivism”. Just what is it, really?

What is Slacktivism?

This is the term that is used to refer to the new way of activism in where people say that they are supporting a certain cause or are appalled at a recent political cause yet do not do beyond sharing or liking an article or link on their social media website.

At this light, it does sound rather deplorable. However, is that all there is to it? Like everything in social media, it is all just there on the surface and no one really know what happens beyond the likes or the posts. “Back in the day”, as they like to commonly say, if people had a cause, they would be fighting it out in the street. From our point of view, there seems to be a massive disconnect between the naysayers and what the people that they dismiss as slacktivists.

Now commonly thrown around as a derogatory term, this is a title that is given to most people who “like” or “share” articles on their social media platforms. People cannot deny that social media is one of the fastest ways to get news and express opinions. This is something that most of the established people like politicians did not count on. Social media has made it easier to make informed choices and hold our supposed leaders accountable for their words and their actions.

Technology has evolved, so why should it not follow that the way people fight the good fight was to change as well? More and more of today’s youth are indeed quick to jump on issues—why is that a bad thing? If anything else, this should tell everyone that we all need to be more responsible with our actions and words. The information that the younger generations digest must be better. The world is better connected now—digitally, at least—so why is there so much division around?

Slacktivism as they like to call it is only something that is said by those who do not bother to see the aftereffect of every “share”. The more people who are better aware that there is an issue, the better! You never now when the right person in someone’s network or “friend list” is just the right one to turn an issue around!

Also, it is through social media “slacktivists” that more people actually end up showing up for rallies and gatherings. This is an aftereffect that most people do not like connecting to the very people who they dismiss as slacktivists. After all, how could something that is derogatory have a positive impact in the world?

This is another form of hypocrisy that must be torn down. When you see another cause being shared on a social media platform, it would be wise to not dismiss it.