ONLINE ACTIVISM HAS come under the spotlight lately following the Kony 2012 campaign – which saw almost 90 million people watch a video, Invisible Children, online.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, Nate Prosser of Clicktivist.org said that online activism – sometimes called “clicktivism” – encourages meaningful change when used appropriately.
Supporters of clicktivism say the method utilises the Internet to facilitate social or political action by ‘spreading the word’ and creating a greater level of engagement with a cause.
However, critics say actions which require little time or involvement (for example, signing an online petition or joining a campaign group on a social networking website) are not meaningful – and, at best, ineffectual. As such, this type of behaviour has earned the derogatory nickname “slackvitism”.
More radical online activists such as Anonoymous (often referred to as “hacktivists”) can split opinion – but also engage in more niche activities than those used the general public.
We’d like to know whether you think social action online valuable to a cause, or if it discourages real and substantial action.
Do you think online activism is effective?
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