The internet is a powerful thing and on one hand it creates ways for people to fight and stand up for movements that they believe in more than they ever could, while on the same hand it helps us to pat ourselves on the back for "contributing" to something worth while. I personally thought that it was really interesting when we talked in class about someone can feel so involved in a movement, while not doing anything at all. I see it all the time on Facebook, one of my friends has liked a photo now claiming to have made a difference by simply clicking a button. First what runs through my head is, don't these people understand that literally nothing is going to happen by them liking a picture (except for me shamelessly judging them)? But this isn't just on Facebook, its all over the web. Signing petitions that might never get sent off to the right person and if it does they may never see it.
Do you think that the reason so many people do this is because we want to feel involved and to make ourselves seem better than we really are to ourselves and others? Or is it because society has placed this stigma that youths are naïve and can't make a difference at such a young age, so they do what they can while falling into that category, even if that means simply "liking" a photo. I wouldn't be surprised if even just a small amount of people have believed that lie.
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Lexie, I've often wondered about this too. I wonder if people feel the need to "like" a photo because they feel as a part of a community. I know there have been millions of photos floating around Facebook that people have liked. For example; one photo said "if I get 1 million likes on this photo, my wife will consider having a baby." Is there really a need to get the whole world involved when it comes to decisions on having a baby?
ReplyDeleteI love this idea of "slacktivism," and I wish that you had discussed it just a little bit more. It bring up the questions that you raise at the end of your post and others. I guess that it is intriguing to question why individuals seem to want to do the least amount of work possible, while at the same time making sure that it is clear and apparent to others that they are doing work. Like you, I find myself asking what people get out of such public slacktivism. What are the benefits? Could such projects ever actually do good? If so, what?
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