Editing Slacktivism (section)

{{Short description|Pejorative term for "feel-good" activist measures}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2017}}
[[File:Botón Me gusta.svg|200px|thumb|The [[like button]] used on Facebook, a popular slacktivist tool]]

'''Slacktivism''' (a [[blend word|blend]] of ''[[slacker]]'' and ''[[activism]]'') is the practice of supporting a political or social cause by means such as [[social media]] or [[Online petition|online petitions]], characterized as involving very little effort or commitment.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Cabrera|first=Nolan L.|title=Activism or Slacktivism? The Potential and Pitfalls of Social Media in Contemporary Student Activism|journal=Journal of Diversity in Higher Education|year=2017|volume=10|issue=4|page=400|doi=10.1037/dhe0000061|s2cid=151362391|url=https://www.academia.edu/34753295|language=en|access-date=March 9, 2021|archive-date=August 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210804152155/https://www.academia.edu/34753295|url-status=live}}</ref> Additional forms of slacktivism include engaging in online activities such as [[Like button|liking]], [[Share icon|sharing]] or [[Tweet (social media)|tweeting]] about a cause on social media, signing an Internet petition,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Inboxer Rebellion Archives {{!}} Snopes.com |url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/category/inboxer-rebellion/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031124407/https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/category/inboxer-rebellion/ |archive-date=October 31, 2021 |access-date=2024-02-03 |website=[[Snopes]]}}</ref> copying and pasting a status or message in support of the cause, sharing specific [[Hashtag|hashtags]] associated with the cause, or altering one's profile photo or [[Avatar (computing)|avatar]] on social network services to indicate solidarity.

Critics of slacktivism suggest that it fails to make a meaningful contribution to an overall cause because a low-stakes show of support, whether online or offline, is superficial, ineffective, draws off energy that might be used more constructively, and serves as a substitute for more substantive [[Activism#Types of activism|forms of activism]] rather than supplementing them, and might, in fact, be counter-productive.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Carr |first=David |date=2012-03-26 |title=Hashtag Activism, and Its Limits |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/26/business/media/hashtag-activism-and-its-limits.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309014533/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/26/business/media/hashtag-activism-and-its-limits.html |archive-date=2021-03-09 |access-date=2024-02-03 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> As groups increasingly use social media to facilitate civic engagement and [[collective action]],<ref name="Advocacy 2.0">{{cite journal|last=Obar|first=Jonathan|title=Advocacy 2.0: An Analysis of How Advocacy Groups in the United States Perceive and Use Social Media as Tools for Facilitating Civic Engagement and Collective Action|journal=Journal of Information Policy|year=2012|volume=2|pages=1–25|doi=10.5325/jinfopoli.2.2012.1|ssrn=1956352|s2cid=246628982|display-authors=etal |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Obar">{{Cite journal |last=Obar |first=Jonathan |title=Canadian Advocacy 2.0: A Study of Social Media Use by Social Movement Groups and Activists in Canada|journal=Canadian Journal of Communication |year=2014|doi=10.22230/cjc.2014v39n2a2678 |ssrn=2254742|doi-access=free }}</ref> proponents of slacktivism have pointed out that it can lead to engagement and help generate support for lesser-known causes.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2013-05-16|title=Why online Slacktivism might actually be helping charities|url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/opinion/slacktivists-unite-social-media-campaigns-arent-just-feel-good-back-patting/|access-date=2021-10-21|website=Digital Trends|language=en|archive-date=October 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021021545/https://www.digitaltrends.com/opinion/slacktivists-unite-social-media-campaigns-arent-just-feel-good-back-patting/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Davis 2011">{{cite web|last=Davis|first=Jesse|title=Cause Marketing: Moving Beyond Corporate Slacktivism|url=http://evidencebasedmarketing.net/cause-marketing-moving-beyond-corporate-slacktivism|access-date=November 22, 2011|date=October 27, 2011|archive-date=December 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208131537/http://evidencebasedmarketing.net/cause-marketing-moving-beyond-corporate-slacktivism|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200915-the-subtle-ways-that-clicktivism-shapes-the-world |title= The subtle ways that 'clicktivism' shapes the world |work= [[BBC]] |author= Richard Fisher |date= September 16, 2020 |access-date= February 9, 2020 |archive-date= August 1, 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210801182307/https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200915-the-subtle-ways-that-clicktivism-shapes-the-world |url-status= live }}</ref>