Activism vs Slacktivism

This week, we read Madison and Klang's (2020) article titled "The Case for Digital Activism." They describe some common criticisms of digital activism including its futility, "feel good" activism, Narcissitic activism, barriers/transaction costs, lack of sacrifice, and substitution. All of these arguments are then refuted by some counterpoints presented by the authors. They assert that online activism can cause participation, edification, visibility, and transformation in the social movements they are a part of. I honestly thing that both sides of the argument can exist at one time depending on the person that is doing the activism and their own motivations.

In my movement this week (the sustainability movement) a lot of the messaging for those not in the movement has focused around Halloween. It occurred on Monday of this week, and included conversations regarding how to stay sustainable even during a holiday that revolves around wearing a costume only once. For example, some of the posts said that people should try to find costumes from their own closet or from secondhand stores instead of fast fashion pieces that cannot be reused as easily. I saw some of the stereotypical Instagram slideshows that are often criticized. This criticism falls under the umbrellas of "feel good" activism and lack of sacrifice. Many people may criticize this kind of Instagram activism because it is an easy way for people to make them feel good about their activism, even if they do not follow what they are saying exactly. Additionally, they may believe that there is not an innate sacrifice to having this information on your page. In contrast, I believe that visibility is an important rebuttal to those arguments. Even though it is easy for the activists to share this information, it does help make people consider their own actions and may remind them that they should be mindful of the clothing choices that they make.

Here is a link to a blogpost describing the dangers of fast fashion this Halloween:

https://www.jackcentral.org/features/fast-fashion-haunts-the-halloween-season/article_38fbd9fc-5592-11ed-8ed2-3bdb5def6ac1.html