Sociologists are increasingly looking at the web world for collective action and information cascade

Tahrir and #Guwahati, #OccupyWall- Street and #Kony2102. Four different continents, one common theme. Of masses rising up against crimes—crimes of governance, gender discrimination, economic and at worst, against humanity. And that each of these movements for justice played out at a social network near you, with millions of armchair activists expressing their digital solidarity by “liking” or retweeting their support. But does “liking” or retweeting messages of solidarity mean that you care? And what is the difference between liking a status update about latest Batman movie and one that condemns the atrocities committed by a corrupt Ugandan leader against children? I mean, it sure looks the same when you’re doing it, doesn’t it? And that’s the criticism “clicktivists” or “slacktivists” tend to get—that they take easy actions in support of a cause, such as signing an online petition, liking a Facebook page or adding a flag or a ribbon to their online avatar, and that’s pretty much where their involvement ends. Or that they lack real commitment, care only about momentary self-satisfaction and polishing up their digital avatars, and don’t really contribute to any meaningful change. The question that it really boils down to is–can a click make a difference in the real world. By itself, and in isolation, probably not, but when combined with thousands and even millions of other clicks, it builds social momentum. This support, even if it is part-time, brings a lot more into the fold than would previously have been possible, even if it is just online. Drawing a line of distinction between online activity and real-world behavior is becoming increasingly less relevant, when for many of us, our online lives are becoming inextricably linked with our offline ones. Look at Guwahati, for instance. The seemingly simple (and for cynics effectively meaningless) act of forwarding messages of support for the harassed teenager took the video viral and made mainstream national news sit up and take notice of what could have remained a stray regional event. The widespread support and ensuing coverage forced the hand of the administration to doggedly pursue and eventually nab the culprits. Did Facebook and Twitter do this all by themselves? Hardly. But experts, such as sociologist Zeynep Tufekci, argues that such events clearly play a crucial role in creating what she terms a “collective action/information cascade” that drive the protests out of the online world and into the “real” one. Or Egypt for that matter. With thousands of people joining and expressing solidarity for Facebook pages focused on the revolution, not only did this create a larger sense of community around such issues, but with Facebook’s real name policies which allow the authorities to track dissidents through these networks, it showed movement leaders that there is a very “real” outpouring of support, one that could help tip things over from simple online communities to real world activism. Ditto for the Occupy Wall Street protests or the support for Anna Hazare— online expressions of political anger channeled into a cause help build a visible momentum, which itself is one of the condition of success. So what’s the bottom line? That just because people are doing something easy on social media doesn’t mean that’s all they are doing. In fact, a study conducted by Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication in late 2010 and 2011 showed that “slacktivists” (or “social champions” are they are referred to) are twice as likely to volunteer their real world time to causes, whether it is by way of demonstrations, donations or soliciting donations on behalf of their cause, and often do so in a manner that has the highest potential to influence others. And what if you’re looking for good folks to advance your cause online? Katya Andresen, Chief Strategy Officer for Network for Good, a leading donation platform for cause support has some recommendations. She suggests that folks fronting the digital front for a movement should understand slacktivists rather than stereotype them—just because they are willing to quickly click on a link to show their support doesn’t mean they aren’t willing to do more for the cause (or already doing so, for that matter). And just like the rest of us, slacktivists show stronger support for some causes closer to them than others, and it is only by strong engagement that you can ascertain their level of interest. Net, do not slack off when it comes to engaging with slacktivists— they may be far more enthusiastic and interested than you think. The only word of caution—keep a check on expectations. For many folks, a simple message such as “If you care enough to show this visible sign of support and donate a meager amount of money, trust us and we will go and fix this world issue for you” is enough to goad them into action and donate. Instead, one should outline a list of measurable actions that can actually be achieved. Remember, the world isn’t that easy to fix, and all social media has done is flatten the traditional setting for conversations to allow many more unknowns to finally have a voice that can be heard.

Recommended Reading:

Refreshing the Revolution: Social media and Activism (http://bit.ly/DW-SocActivism) and The Best Activism in Social Media (http://bit.ly/DW-BestActivism)