Technology as a Disruptive Force

“We’re in a groundswell moment of youth activism.” – Professor Meira Levinson

It is evident that virtual activism presents inherent limitations despite the number of protests that has succeeded yet facilitated through social media’s organisational capabilities. Through actions such as “re-tweeting,” “hashtag-ing,” or “sharing” posts associated with a social justice issue, a level of awareness is shown by individuals, consequently allowing individuals feel they are creating influence for social change. Although, social change requires greater action and needs to go further than simply sharing a tweet or liking a post on Twitter, as this does not incite overt change however it definitely raises awareness to issues which can ultimately translate to greater action. This inaction is referred to as 'Clicktivism', which is a term that has emerged in the digital world, used to describe the 'half-hearted activism on the internet, lacking actual engagement with the real-world issues. Thus, the influence virtual activism is reliant on the amount of effort put into these social and political causes by group members.

To provide further examination of the topic, Max Ringelmman's accredited theory is utilised to comprehend the limitations of using social media platforms as a catalyst for social change. Ringelmman proves the concept of social loathing that explains. "less effort is exerted on the task when working as part of a cooperative group that when working on one's own". These findings can be used to validate the reduced contribution of activist group members, when partaking in a social or political movement through virtual activism. Off reduce incentive to contribute may be a result of reliance on other members of a campaign to 'do the work'. Thus, it is indicative that slacktivism proves to be an underlying limitation of virtual activism, as effectiveness depends on the amount of effort exerted by group members.

Despite that awareness of an issue may increase through social media, it is difficult to evaluate the role social media plays in translating virtual activism into tangible change. This is the topic of debate which is highly subjective according to how individuals or groups measure social change. Gerbaudo argues social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have in fact played an important role in mobilising protestors. However, news agencies such as Aljazeera made a greater impact on the events of the Egyptian revolution. In an interview conducted, it was stated that "social media can change people's opinions or help educate people about issues", and thus it has a lasting effect. This insinuated that activism through social media nay therefore incite change as awareness is recognised as a valid form of social change.

Moreover, technology is distinguished as an agent of social change, as technological advancements have given digital tools the power to spread awareness of contemporary issues on a macro scale. This perception of social media acting as a medium for social awareness is emphasised by an interviewee who affirmed that social media “spreads awareness of social issues to audiences who aren’t willing to protest on the streets”. As a result, social media has fostered the creation of social movements through the awareness it delivers on a macro scale of society and thus has the potential to influence social change. This argument is in accordance with Smith, where he stated, “What drives change is awareness… and people are never going to care unless they know.” Therefore, virtual activism undeniably has the potential to convert awareness into real change.

However, it is argued activism through social media is effective to a moderate extent, as it must be paired with ‘grassroots’ activism for it to provoke physical change. This viewpoint is supported by 94% of the questionnaire respondents across all generations who argued that hashtag activism was effective in raising awareness to current issues, but did not overly create change. This can be attributed to the enormity of issues raised on social media everyday as noted by a questionnaire respondent from Generation Y who stated, “there are so many competing issues and visuals on social media that issues struggle to stay relevant”, This suggests issues brought up over social media are short-lived and easily forgotten as hashtag conversation and ‘shares’ lose their momentum over time. “Sharing a post with one person instigates a hashtag conversation. Others follow, and by the time you know it, 1000 people have shared it”, thus popularising a certain topic. This concurs with Vie’s view on hashtag activism. She believes ‘activities like changing your Facebook status to support a cause create awareness for these issues that can then translate into tangible action. Nevertheless, the rise in hashtag campaigns allow greater involvement to all social media users as hashtags bring attention to current issues.

However, activism driven by social media is most effective in influencing and creating social change when it is paired with physical action. Employee Engagement Director of Ogilvy UK, whose name will stay anonymous, supported this in their interview, stating “peaceful protesting is necessary and despite the new possibilities offered for protest by the internet and social media, people still have to protest on the streets about some issues of great concern.” Hence, influencing and creating social change is most effective when action is taken through both social media platforms and physical action.