In Defence of the ‘Arm Chair Activist’: Why Social Media is my Tool of Choice
There’s power in speaking out online.
My first memory of social media activism brings flashbacks of Kony 2012 flooded with strong emotions and empowerment. After watching the film as a teenager, the social justice warrior in me was fired up and ready to do ~something~.
I remember feeling angry, inspired and like I want - no, must - do something. That was, until it was exposed as a misleading portrayal of a poverty-stricken Africa that’s in need of our aid.
The fiery feelings of empowerment and action warped in my belly to confusion and guilt - what was right? What was wrong? It wasn’t so easy for a 16-year-old Lou learning the complexities of politics to tell anymore. Damn…
But what I didn’t know was that a new fire was being stoked within me. Even though Kony 2012 was a complete bamboozle, it taught me something that would steer me to where I am today
People care. You just need to get your message in front of them.
The truth is, that people care. They care about the climate. They care about human rights. Hell, even the people that seem to care about nothing but money or themselves care about something. (Hint: it’s usually animals.)
People care. You just have to give them something to care about.
What people aren’t so good at are making decisions in line with what they care about. Sure, consumers are getting more ethically savvy with 82% of shoppers wanting brand values to align with their own, but in terms of forming new habits and lifestyles that actually put pressure on those who can make change (i.e. the government and big corps), not so much.
And here’s where social media comes in.
Social media gives you the opportunity to amplify your voice.
Social media has given us the chance to democratise information sharing and get your word out there. Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, TikTok…the list goes on, are all places where people are speaking out about the things the powerful love to hide.
We don’t need to rely on billionaire owned media companies to print our stories. We can simply set up our selfie camera, press record and boom.
Now, I’m not trying to say it’s easy to get your voice out there. You need some knowledge of social media trends, the algorithm and the right messaging to really be heard’ - but I truly believe social media has given us, the people, the power back to share stories, change minds, rally those that care and make a difference.
A prime example of this was during my time working at Viva!, the UK vegan campaigning charity. The investigations team would collect undercover footage from factory farms supplying the Big 5 supermarkets and discover horror at each and every one they visited. When we contacted the supermarkets to out their suppliers, expecting them to be just as outraged, they all would take a ‘hear no evil, see no evil’ approach. Even in light of pigs cannibalising each other and workers attacking innocent animals, they wouldn’t even raise an eyebrow at what was going on.
That is, until, it was all over social media. We’d flood our feeds with videos and graphics to uncover the reality of what was going on - and then the games would begin. The media would pick it up, the supermarket would claim they’re investigating - and, if we were lucky, a big enough PR crisis would stir for them to drop the farm.
Would any of this have happened if we didn’t have a platform to share the investigations on our own terms? Without a TV company editing them or only telling half the story? I can say with absolute certainty, definitely not.
Feeding the trolls
But with all the good I see in social media movements and communities, there is an ugly side to social media that can’t be ignored.
Waiting to accuse you of worshipping the devil for supporting Greta Thunberg, the trolls are out there, and they’re doing much more than writing annoying comments on your new tweet.
Looking back to Kony 2012, there was naivety, bias and a lack of understanding that led to the perfect storm. And these three ingredients are still being used today to mislead people into dangerous views that can quickly pick up momentum online.
Just look at the racism that flooded Twitter following England losing the Euros on penalties in 2021. People were whipped into a frenzy and took to Twitter to write hateful comments with no consequences - or so they thought until one man was jailed last year.
Social media - my tool of choice
If there’s one thing that is for sure, it’s that people bare their souls on social media. This provides a unique opportunity to connect with people where they are, and share your movement with them in a way that makes sense to them.
The daily social media use for the average user is 2.5 hours a day - that’s a huge opportunity to raise awareness of the issues your fighting.
But can a retweet really be seen as activism? To me, yes. I never would have had the views I have today if it wasn’t for people sharing social media content. I wouldn’t know the truth about animal farming that led me to go vegan. I wouldn’t know about all the grassroots movements that give me hope.I certainly wouldn’t believe there is something we, the people, can do to make a difference.
I hate the ugly side to social media but when I see grassroots movements blossom into mainstream views, or actions for the planet, people and animals gain momentum with people who’ve not so much as held a placard before, I can’t help but vote in favour of hope.