With online activism becoming increasingly popular due to coronavirus restrictions, notions of ‘slacktivism’ and ‘performative activism’ have widely been cited (figure 1) to criticise those who use social media as part of their activism.
(Figure 1- Google Trends: shows how popular the terms ‘slacktivism’, ‘performative activism’, and ‘clicktivism’ have been over the past 5 years. Numbers represent search interest relative to the highest point on the chart in the UK. A value of 100 is the peak popularity.)
With words like ‘slacktivism’ becoming increasingly more mainstream, some argue that these terms are ableist and used to exclude certain group’s activism. One reason for this is because it assumes that there is a hierarchy within activism; a one in which online activism is less worthy compared to in-person activism. Additionally, it places public protests as the ultimate form of activism which excludes many people, with mental and physical health problems, who cannot attend these events as they are usually not accessible. The implicature that there is a ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ way to be an activist deems certain groups as lesser or ‘slacking’ activists and their efforts as substandard. This is compared to abled individuals who can go to in-person activism events such as protests, public outreach, campaigning and petition- signing. Deeming online activist as deficient compared to in-persons activism not only gatekeeps ideas of what it means to be an ‘activist’ , but also alienates peoples with disabilities and excludes them from being a valid ‘activist’.
Another argument supporting the belief that ‘slacktivism’ is ableist is that it assumes those who do their activism online are purely doing it for the social status or because they’re lazy. One definition of ‘slacktivism’ is ‘an activity that uses the internet to support political or social causes in a way that does not need much effort, for example creating or signing online petitions’. Another is ‘ the self-deluded idea that by liking, sharing, or retweeting something you are helping out’. Implicit in these definitions are notions of laziness and performative activism. Although this may be true for some people, to assume this for everyone is ableist. Consequently, it discredits many people whose activism is only possible through social media. This feeds into the narrative that those who do things differently because of physical and mental disabilities are inferior to those who can do things the ‘normal’ or ‘right’ way.
Additionally, there are many activist movements that wouldn’t be as successful without the valuable input of social media activists. Examples include Marcus Rashford’s school meal campaign, #stopfundinghate, Hong Kong’s 2019/20 protests, to name a few.
In summary, this post highlights the problematic usage of words such as ‘slacktivism’ and its connotations. Not only do these words exclude and attack people who cannot attend in-person activism and are thus ableist, but they also gatekeep what it means to be an ‘activist’. Instead of activist deeming certain forms of activism as inferior, they should put their energy into making activism more accessible to people who have disabilities.
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