Slacktivism in Foster Care

This weeks readings focused specifically on the arguments against online activism, most prominently the term slacktivism. Authors Madison and Klang write in their essay The Case for Digital Activism: Refuting the Fallacies of Slacktivism that "Indeed, the term used to downplay digital activism is slacktivism, a portmanteau of slacker and activism. The use of slacker is intended to stress the inaction, low effort, and laziness of the person and thereby question their dedication to the cause".

In the world of Foster Care activism, the idea of slacktivism is very applicable. Many social media posts in the category of Foster Care are made by non-foster people who share words of support with Foster parents or individuals who want to speak their minds about the system from the outside. What is ultimately needed is not people to say how under-staffed Social Services is or how few people decide to be Foster parents, but people who are willing to step beyond the barrier of discomfort or inconvenience and become Foster parents or social workers themselves. That being said, not everyone is in a physical or financial state to be a Foster parent or social worker, however there are plenty of other ways to serve and improve the Foster system. Organizations like CASA train volunteers to be Court Appointed Special Advocates who help children in Foster care and their Families. There is a lot that needs to be done to improve the Foster system, and much of it cannot be done from behind a screen.